What is it about FEAR??

Lastnight I was watching the 1st season of Smallville and in one of the episodes some guy asked another person what they feared most.

I started thinking about this and thought about posing the question to you. What do you fear most?

I guess about 2:30 a.m. this morning, after not being able to sleep, I started thinking about this and should have gotten up to write about it cuz I tend to have the most brilliant of thoughts at this hour (or so I think), but I didn't. So... in thinking about it today and examining myself, I would have to say that if I still lived in the States and in the big city (Dallas, Plano area), I would have to say that my biggest fear would be of getting raped.

While living alone in the city and as a woman, you tend to think about these things - rape, murder, sexual assault and the likes. Or maybe it's just Americans who think about this stuff - I'm not sure - I guess since we're raised on fear, it seems appropriate now in thinking about it that I would obsess about that in my life.

In saying this, I can remember living in some apartments near Plano and it wasn't but right down the street that a lady was raped right outside of her garage when she was bringing in groceries one evening - her husband was w/ her and he was held at gunpoint while she was raped in front of him, and then the husband was shot and killed.... after hearing about this I can remember being really afraid. Rape was something that you heard about all the time. It was on news reports, in the paper... I even worked w/ a girl that had been raped in her own neighborhood by a guy that lived on one street over from her. She lived in Plano.

She had gone out for her morning run and he had been watching her and the schedule she kept for weeks. Well, that particular morning, he grabbed her and took her into the woods not too far from her house, where he proceeded to rape her multiple times over the next few hours. He also made her take off all of her clothes and follow him from place to place inside the woods.

I remember when she was telling me about it, about how her husband had asked her not to go that morning and how she had had second thoughts but went anyway..... and how she had seen this guy many times before, and the eerie feeling she got when she saw him that morning. She even crossed the street to avoid him, only for him to cross over to the same side. He held a gun to her head, smoked crack and threatened her life while he was raping her. Her husband and two daughters went out that morning after she didn't come home looking for her, not knowing that she was in the woods not far from their house w/ this maniac of a rapist.

He finally left her, after blindfolding her and telling her not to move. She waited until she couldn't hear him any longer, took off the blindfold and ran for her life. When she got out to the street, some ppl spotted her and took her to the hospital where her husband was called, the police, she filed a complaint, etc. She later went to court to testify against this man and they put him away... not for life, but for several years. She told me that the fear and memories lived inside of her though and wondered if they always would.

I've had what I consider to be two close encounters w/ this myself... nothing like what she experienced but it scared me nonetheless. Rape is a terrible thing and no woman should ever have to go through that... and I am thankful that I live in a country where I'm not afraid of that, like I was in the States. Not that Bahrain doesn't have problems w/ sexual assault because it does happen, but I don't feel afraid here like I did living in Dallas.

I have a lot of things that I fear... I'm not sure if it's really healthy, but I find that it's better to be open to the idea rather than to live in a fog that nothing will ever happen to you... plus, I'm really pretty much a fatalist, I would say.

Anyway... I think that this rape fear is not as strong as it used to be cuz I now live in Bahrain and I'm thankful for that.

My next biggest fear would be dying of cancer. This is scary to me and I really fear it. Yeah, I know it's sorta morbid to think about death and/or extreme fear, but I do it. I sometimes even think about how I will die. I don't sit and worry about it or anything and I don't think about it daily, but it has crossed my mind in the past. And when I do think about it, I think about cancer. So... this will be another post at a later time... about death... and I'll talk about cancer then... until then... tell me about what you fear most.

And to wrap this post up in a sweet way cuz I don't wanna bring all of you down by talking about rape and cancer ;) ... I'll end it here w/.... Have a good day my friends.. and enjoy your weekend! Today is the last day of my weekend, so I'm really trying to make the best of it!!

my husband's blog

ok, i don't do this often but i can't help myself today. the hubby has posted one of my all time favorite songs that he composed prob 4 yrs ago while we lived in lewisville, texas to his blog. it was composed and recorded after one of our kitties got hit by a car, which, to get personal, it's the first time he'd experienced the death of a pet... and he took it hard.... but the song that was produced outta the sadness is just so beautiful.... i've always found that sadness can bring so much creativity... am i the only one that sees this? i know that i paint best or write the best poetry when i'm depressed or sad... and it seems to be almost the same for him... can't say it is cuz he does do some good music on good days too! ;) btw, the song is called Little Velvet...

SO.....

for any of you that love music, check out the song he recently posted to his blog. it's an instrumental and so full of emotion. i love it. i could go on and on... but i'll let you guys take a listen for yourself. i hope you like it as much as me.

Happy Thursday

today is the last day of the week for me and i can't wait to sleep in tomorrow! ;) my sister has been calling me at 7:00 a.m. in the mornings here lately but i told her today that if she calls me tomorrow or sat., i will definitely hurt her in a major way. she thinks it's funny to call so early - even tho i'm usually up (but the hubby isn't and this is the prob! ;) ). i told my mom to put the phone next to her so that i can be sure to call on her weekend at 7:00 a.m., since she doesn't usually get outta bed until 9:30 or so!!! it's good to give her a taste of her own medicine... don't ya think!!? ;)

it's been pretty uneventul this week other than coming up w/ new and exciting recipes for iftar. today i'm looking at some pasta salads, stuffed bell peppers, or different veggie salads. the family makes a lot of fried foods, which can be good, but i'm sorta sick of it already, plus fried food tends to make me sick. how ppl can eat so many fried samboosas and such w/out feeling ill is something i don't get. the greasy stuff always has a way of staying around and annoying me until a good 4 hours or so later.

i've been really bored as of late... so haven't had much to blog about. am thinking of finishing a few paintings that i started months ago but haven't felt the desire until just a few days back... so i might actually do some painting this weekend, and a blog friend (munther) suggested a good book, so maybe i'll do some reading.

tonight we might go to Al Bandar late, just to sit and watch the ppl, maybe have a late bite and then listen to the music. we haven't been out for Ramadan yet, so i'm really wanting to do something. i know of a few places that have some great live music but they're usually super crowded and i'm not really into large crowds. sometimes i like to just ride around but even that sounds sorta boring.

but anyway... not much to blog about... just wanted to say hi. if you guys have any good recipes, let me know... i'm up for some new recipes. :)

have a good one!!

a taste of Ramadan

For all of you that don't live in a Muslim country... I thought it might be fun to give you a taste of life during Ramadan in Bahrain.

Let's start w/ the bad things first:

The thing is... you fast from sun up to sun down during Ramadan. So... when you get up in the mornings, there's no drinking of water or any type of beverage, no intake of food, no smoking, no sex, no nothing. Even for non-Muslims... there is none of this.. well, unless you're inside your own home, of course. ;)

Every restaurant on the island is closed until after 5:00 p.m. every day. You can find little cold stores open in the mornings in case you're not fasting, but you are not allowed, by law, to eat, drink or smoke on the streets or in public during Ramadan. If you are caught doing this, you will be arrested. I can imagine how difficult it is for the ppl who smoke... and who are accustomed to smoking in their cars while driving some place or while they're walking on the streets. But... this is a BIG no no.

All workplaces close the kitchens during Ramadan so you have no access to water, tea, coffee - nothing. If you are non-Muslim, you should close your door when eating so that no one will see. It's of VERY bad manners to eat or drink in front of a Muslim during the fasting hours of the holy month.

If you're fasting, it's very common to have severe headaches in the first several days of Ramadan, and many Muslims stay in bad moods during the holy month because they're fasting. You'll find tempers flaring over small things and ppl are more argumentative, in general.

At 3:00 a.m. every morning, for a month, in some neighborhoods (this happens in ours every morning), young men and boys march thru the neighborhood banging on drums. This is to wake everyone up so that they can have their last meal before sunrise. I don't eat before sunrise... and because I'm a light sleeper, this wakes me up every morning and then I can't get back to sleep. This year, they have other instruments to accompany the drums... and there are probably 15 young men in the group. It's quite a nice wake up for any of you that find it hard to sleep at night... I have this to look forward to every year! And this year, it's especially loud and seems to last forever! ;)

And one of the big things that can be very bad, depending on where you work, is that so many ppl stay up until 4:00 a.m or 5:00 a.m. every morning, that they are practically like zombies at the work place. At some companies, it doesn't matter, but when you're busy and need the help of some ppl, it can be very aggravating because ppl are too tired and can't function properly. Ppl also keep their children up until these hours and then send them off to school the next day. Imagine trying to learn and study when you've only had a couple hours of sleep!


Some of the good things about Ramadan:

Ppl tend to give more to the poor during this month. You'll find famlies making big meals especially for the poor.

Restaurants and coffee shops are open until the wee hours of the morning and you'll always find huge crowds of ppl out and about during Ramadan. Ppl love to socialize during Ramadan and many visit their family members and friends during this month.

Huge meals are prepared for Iftar (breaking of the fast) every night of the month. This is especially good. It reminds me a lot of Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners in the States, altho the meals are much different. You'll find a large array of food items including different rice dishes, samboosa, chicken or lamb, soups, salads, harees (some type of smashed beans w/ shredded meat and olive oil on the top - very tasty!!), kufta (meatballs w/ a tomato-based sauce and potatoes), thareed (soggy lebanese type of bread w/ potatoes, tomatoes, meat, onions, carrots cooked on the top - very delish), hummos, olives, dates.... almost any kind of food that you can think of. It's so wonderful and I always look forward to Iftar during Ramadan. There are many other types of food, but I don't know all the names - so I welcome anyone to give more detail.

Sweets/desserts. These are always so wonderful during Ramadan. There are so many that I especially like, but I don't know the names. I like Um Ali... it's so good. And there are many other desserts that have cinnamin and I always love anything w/ this spice.

There's also another dinner at around 9:30 p.m. or 10:00 - sometimes later - in order for ppl to get together. It's called ghabga. Lots of companies do these types of dinners for their employees during the month of Ramadan. At these dinners, you'll also find a huge assortment of food and sweets... anything your heart can imagine... you'll find.

You get more movies and shows on the TV during Ramadan. It can be quite enjoyable but sometimes the shows aren't very good.

Many coffee shops have musicians during Ramadan, so it's always a lot of fun to sit at coffee shops during the night to listen to the music and have a good time, if you're a night owl - which many tend to be during Ramadan.

There are usually lots of sales during the month of Ramadan at clothing shops, electronic shops and the likes. So you can get some really good deals on items.... it's always fun to shop during Ramadan cuz if you're looking for a big TV, this is the time to buy it.


These are just some of the things I can think of... but I thought it might give some of you that aren't familiar w/ Ramadan a glimpse into the life of a few during this holy month.

I will add this particular thought ... I find that Muslims have it very easy in this part of the world during Ramadan. Everything is closed and there is no temptation in front of them so they have it rather easy, I think. In the States.... this is where the true test of faith comes in... or in any other non-Muslim country, for that matter. Wouldn't it be better to allow restaurants and such to be open? Isn't that where the true test of faith comes to play? Having what you desire in front of you but still not partaking in the exquisite fruit? If everything is closed and there's no chance of slipping... then where does the true test come in?

grocery store madness

For any of you that haven't been to the grocery store during Ramadan... believe me, it's a place you don't wan't to be, unless you have no other choice in the matter. We've cruised in to the local Al Jazeera for the last two nights in a row and the place is always packed. You wait forever in the produce department, even if you only have a couple of items to be scanned, and then the lines at the check-out are a nightmare. Everyone's at the grocery and they're all buying carts and carts of food. It amazes me really.

One thing that I really enjoy though, while standing in line to check-out, is being able to see the goodies in everyone's carts. I think you can tell a lot about a person by what they buy at the grocery store. You're basically seeing their life as an open book, don't ya think? You see what they eat, what junk food they like and the magazines they read - so many things really. I find it all very fascinating.

Lastnight, as I was standing it line, I started thinking about what ppl buy and wondered what your favorite thing is to buy in bulk or in large quantities?

In the States you have stores like Sams Club and others where you can buy huge quantities of food items, toiletries, clothing items, electronics, automotives... all sorts of things. We don't have a store like that here in Bahrain, but we do have Geant. At Geant, you can buy regular items for somewhat less than what you pay at the grocery store. This is where I like to stock up on certain items. Not like I'm getting a huge discount, but you would think that I am by the way I buy.

These are some of the items I tend to buy in bulk:

1) toilet paper (I always keep tons in the house)
2) spray starch (I get sorta paranoid about running out of this stuff)
3) Detol - all around cleaner (One can never have enough of this! ;) )
4) tissue paper (We buy large quantities of this stuff)
5) spray cleaners (I prob have several cans of this under the cabinets, but everytime I shop, I buy more)

I buy one food item in large quantities for some reason and that's canned tomatoes. I have several cans in the cabinet, but every time I shop, I can never remember how much I have, so I buy more. I guess you can never have enough canned tomatoes. ;)

What about you... what do you buy in bulk?

what about you?

Once, a few years ago, some friends of my husband's asked me an interesting question. It was: What is something you want to do before you die?

Weird in that I had never been asked that question before, not by any girlfriends, not by anyone. So.. I sat there and thought about it and said, "well, I'd like to swim with dolphins". And thinking about it now, this is still something that I'd like to do, but I wouldn't put it on the top of my list.

I've done a lot of things but there's still many things that sound like they could be life changing events - and, for me, that makes all the difference. For one, I'd love to go on a safari or live like Jane Goodall for a while, altho my husband would totally disagree w/ it. But, there's just something about the idea of living in the jungle, getting up at the crack of dawn and watching monkeys all day that sounds really appealing to me. Yeah, maybe I'm strange, but really, it sounds fabulous. The thought of being out there w/ nature... hearing the sounds of nature... I think it would make me feel alive.

Plus, you don't have to worry about the bitchy women at work being nosey and all the gossip they insist on spreading (I hate this more than anything and had a taste of it yesterday), you don't have to worry about make-up or if you look fat... and you get to sit in complete silence, except for the monkeys, take notes if you wish and be a spectator of true nature and life at work. I love animals, so this sounds like a dream to me. What a great escape!

There are so many things that I'd love to do before I die... and yeah, it may sound morbid, but have you ever thought about it? I could mention all the crazy stuff that I haven't yet done, but when I really think about it, I would love to have more life changing events happen in my life... things that really make me a better person and have a impact on my soul. Do I think living w/ monkeys could do that??? Well, altho some may think me crazy for saying it, I do. Or maybe it's just the thought of getting away and being free of some of the burdens that these day-to-day struggles can bring to your life. Not that there wouldn't be stress in that environment because there is... for any of you that have watched Jane Goodall at work or seen the shows or read up on anything that she's done... there's a whole set of probs that come w/ that. But still.... I'm a daydreamer, what can I say!

I'd also love to travel thru Europe w/ a backpack for several months, but only if I had no worries attached to it. Worries w/ money or job safety... and I'd want to take my mother. Not that she'd backpack... but I'd love to travel w/ her.

I'm sure others can come up w/ all sorts of things that I haven't thought about cuz when I sit here and think... I can't really come up w/ all that much. I wonder.... is that's good or bad?! Shouldn't I have a whole list of things or something?

Some other things that I'd like to do are: take my husband to the Grand Canyon and hike that w/ him. I would like to do this before I get old and gray, and before I have trouble walking! ;) I would love to run a marathon. And I'd love to have the money for a sailing cruise - one of those where they take care of your every need and there's only like 6 or so other couples on board... and it would last like 30 days or longer. That would be a little slice of heaven... I'm sure. I'd also love to live in the country again or someplace w/ a lot of nature.... I hate cities... and I don't like lots of noise, busy streets... and the likes. It's funny but when I was younger, I couldn't wait to leave Indiana... I hated the small town quality of it. But now, I long for it.

What about you guys? I know lots of ppl like to do daring things and wan't to try sky diving or jumping off of cliffs and such before you die, and I guess there's a lot to say for that.. but it doesn't really interest me.

native american heritage

Been thinking about my maternal grandmother lately. She passed away when I was in the 10th grade... years ago. My grandmother was a little more than 1/2 Native American (Shawnee, which is recognized by the U.S. govt to be part of the Cherokee tribe - I think I told a blog friend of mine another tribe, but it is Shawnee). She had long hair that she tied in a bun behind her head every day and was a very emotionally strong woman. She smoked like crazy and even when she had a heart attack and her doctor told her to stop smoking, she didn't. She smoked up until the day she died.

I remember being young and visiting w/ my grandmother. She lived w/ one of my aunts and I used to go into her room and sit w/ her for hours when I'd go there to visit. She was always putting together huge puzzles on card tables and I loved to sit and try to figure out how to put the puzzles together w/ her. I remember she always had all sorts of musical instruments and games in her room. One of my favorite games that she had was chinese checkers. I remember she had a really nice banjo and I'd sit and try to play it, and she also had this really cool accordian... it was a difficult instrument to play but I always tried.

She was always so sweet to me. I wish she was around now so that I could get to know her better. My grandmother had all sorts of cures for things that the Indians used to use on people. Let me tell ya about one.

When I was in my teens, I had a bad problem w/ warts. They covered the area around my large toe on my right foot and were starting to go down the left side of my foot area. They were spreading like crazy and no matter what I used, I couldn't get them to go away. At one point, I even tried to pick them off which is the worst thing you could possibly do w/ warts because if they bleed, they spread. I also started getting them on my hands for obvious reasons. It was horrible and I hated it. It was really embarrassing too. I couldn't wear certain shoes, like sandals, because they'd bleed and hurt so so bad.

Well, one night I remember being at my aunt's house and my mom was there. I was sitting in the dining room w/ my mom and grandmother. My grandma saw the warts on my feet and hands and asked me to look at them, so I showed her the warts that were all over my foot. That night, my grandma took a dirty dish cloth, did something to it, rubbed in on my foot and hands and then later that night, from what my mom has told me, she buried it someplace outside.

I don't remember how long it was... but ALL of my warts went away. I want to say it was the next day, but looking back I don't think it was... but I know it wasn't any time at all. And.. believe it or not, I've NEVER had another wart since. No place, no where on my body.

This is a Native American thing that my grandmother did to me. I wish I knew more about it... I really do. I wish I had taken the time to talk to her about it. I'd love to know all of these things/secrets. My mother knows some of them but not a lot.

One of my aunts had warts all over her hands when she was a teenager as well. My grandmother did the same to her and they all went away. And you know, some ppl that I've told this to say it's all a matter of believing, but really, it's not about that. I know that because it wasn't like I knew what she was doing and really believed in it or anything. I had no idea. I just know that whatever she did, it worked and my warts went away.

Actually, I know somewhat about what she did that night. She took this old, dirty dish cloth and wiped in on my feet and hands. She said something and then late that night or on a full moon night, she buried it near something, in particular, I think. I'll have to ask my mom to be for sure... cuz I don't remember all the details.

I don't know about you... but I'd love to know about these things because I do believe in them. I wish I knew more about my Native American background/heritage. I only have a little of the blood in me... but, I still wish I knew more. You know, you'd never know by looking at me that I'm part Native American because I take after my father who is of British/Irish decent. But, if I look at pictures of my mom and then compare them to me, I will admit that I have her high cheekbones... which are very Native American... and I'm glad. :)

baseball cards... or sort of

As a teenager, I often became obsessed w/ things... and I guess I still do somewhat. But, as I was looking for the concert tickets for my earlier post, I came across all the baseball type of cards that I've saved since childhood - why... not sure. I have my favorites, which are of Elvis Presley w/ all the vital info on the back of each, then I have some from the series The Bionic Woman - I loved this show as well as the Six Millon Dollar Man. I have some cards from the series Mork & Mindy - don't have any idea why I kept these... and also have a few from Jaws, and then I have lots from the original Star Wars.

Here are some pics. Am I the only one whose kept such things?

aaahhhh, concerts!

My mind has been filled w/ music today. My fav song of late is Sexyback w/ Justin Timberlake. I never wanted to like this song... cuz I don't care for the guy.. but, I really am really crazy for it! I hum it all the time. I'm also really liking James Blunt as of late. I saw him on Oprah... and he seems so, uhhhh, I don't know.. so soulful. Not in his singing, altho I really like his voice, but, I mean, in his heart. Who knows tho, maybe he's not. I do like his music though.

Well, this got me to thinking about concerts and all the concerts I've been to, so I thought it would be fun to share all of them w/ you and then see which on my list you've seen and to add your own.

So.. here goes.. now.. I may not remember all of them, but I hope. Oh yeah.. I WILL for sure take a pic, when I get home, of all of my old concert tickets, cuz I've saved all of them or most of them - NO KIDDING!

1) My first concert was to Heart and John Cougar (he's now John Mellancamp). I really liked John Mellancamp.. he was raised in Bloomington which is a short drive from where I grew up. Me and my girlfriend made fake passes on our hands w/ markers and got down on the floor for Heart. It was fabulous! It was my first concert and we stood on the chairs. One guy asked to see our tickets and we pretended to have lost them. He was cool and let us stay there w/ him. We were probably 4 or 5 rows back from the stage. :)

Now, I can't remember all the concerts in order, so I'll just write them down and maybe make comments here and there.

2) Rick Springfield. yes.. I did go see him. Actually, he made my heart throb. I remember when the lights went down and he was coming out on stage.. oh gosh, my legs started shaking so bad I could hardly stand it. His concert was great! I still like some of his old stuff. :)
3) Journey. Loved this show. I still think that Steve Perry has one of the best voices I've ever heard.
4) The Cure. I went there to see their opening act, but I can't remember who it was. My girlfriend, Caren, wanted to see this band really bad, so we went. I found myself loving their music after this.
5) one group I saw used to wear red tight pants but I cant remember the name of this band. I'll have to look when I get home, or maybe I'll remember in a few. edit: band was Loverboy. Does anyone remember this group? I think they were a three hit wonder ;)
6) Rush. Hated this concert! I've never liked this band and went w/ a school chum to see the concert. It was way too loud and lasted way too long.
7) George Michael. I adore him and loved this concert. He controlled the crowd like no one I've seen since. I stood in line starting at 4 a.m. w/ my girlfriends and younger sister to get tickets, and we still got lousy seats! But it was still a fab concert.
8) The Rolling Stones. Good concert but would have preferred better seats. During the concert, someone fell back on their seat and collapsed all the rows in back of them.
9) Bush. I had front row tickets! I thought I'd die during the concert because everyone rushed the stage and I couldn't breathe. They only played a few songs, which sucked and pissed me off.
10) Billy Idol. Man, oh man, that was a good concert. He fell off the stage during the show and stayed down on the floor for a bit... he was totally out of it during the whole show.
11) AC/DC. Good show but they kept taking drug breaks after every set, which I didn't like. What's his face took off his pants and ran around the crowd.. that was interesting. ;)
12) Rod Stewart. Really good show. This was later in his career after he had mellowed somewhat. I really enjoyed it.
13) Kiss FM show w/ many artists including Milli Venilli (however that's spelled) and Ton Loc... if it's spelled that way.
14) Berlin. Oh man, I love Berlin!! This was a fantastic show! She has such a great voice.
15) B-52s - Great show!
16) Cindy Lauper - Another great show!
17) Prince. Good show but it freaked me out afterwards - a bunch of ppl got into a huge fight before leaving Reunion and I got trapped. During the show, I was pretty mad because he didn't sing any of my fav songs.
18) Robert Plant. Good show and good seats. He came over to where I was sitting at one point and looked right into my eyes! ;)
19) Michael Jackson. Good show. I actually was really thrilled to see him. This was years ago when he was really quite popular. And he put on a great show.
20) Elton John. Fabulous, fabulous, fabulous! He's a terrific artist and this was before he came out and he did all the fantastic costumes. I loved the show.
21) Jewel. This was a nice show. She is a great singer and controlled the audience well.
22) Cher. I love Cher!!! We had the best seats - 3 rows back from the stage and at one point, she looked right in my direction. She puts on a great show... I'll never forget it. This was her farewell tour.
23) Collective Soul. They opened up for Cher. Very good!! Altho, my girlfriend was late and we missed part of the show. I didn't like!
24) Garth Brooks. This was when he was really popular and I was going thru my country phase... thank gaawwwd I'm thru w/ that! ;)
25) Creed. This was the first concert my husband ever went to.. he loved it. We were both Creed fans... and the show was really good. We had great seats too, which makes it all the better!
26) I took my mom to see a country singer that she likes, but I can't remember his name. It was a good concert and she loved it! edit: This was Vince Gill and Tanya Tucker opened up for him. Thanks to my sister for reminding me of this! :)

edits:

27) Backstreet Boys. Bad, bad, bad!!! worst concert ever!
28) Def Leppard. My sis reminded me that we saw this concert. How could I forget?!! This was really good. My fav part was when the drummer took a solo and water poured down on him from the ceiling and how he played thru it and how it sounded.... it made the most unusual and hallow type of sound... very cool indeed!

Gosh, I used to go to concerts all the time and have seen others, but I can't remember. I'll look thru my tickets today, take a pic and then maybe edit this post. I'm looking forward to hearing about who you've seen.

edit: sadly, I looked thru my tickets and I don't have as many as I expected! Makes me wonder where so many of them have gone. I don't have many of the latest ones, including Creed... so I wonder if I lost them in the move to Bahrain. I also saved some tickets to various musicals... which I really enjoy.

Who would you choose?

If you could have dinner with two ppl, anyone of your choice - famous or not famous - alive or the dearly departed - who would it be and why?

Me... well, I think a long time ago I would have said Elvis as one of my choices, and I might still like that because I think he'd be a fascinating person to talk to and I've been an Elvis fan since I was a young girl... gosh, I mourned and cried for days when he died!, but I have read so much about him that I'm not sure he'd still be on the list. I also would love to talk to John Lennon... so I'm not sure who I'd choose between the two of them. I think John Lennon had an interesting life and I'd really like to talk to him about peace, his music, what inspired him, did he regret decisions in his life... and so on.

As for the other person... gosh, there are sooo many ppl. I'd love to gossip w/ Marilyn Monroe and talk to her about her life, her loves and what happened to cause her death. Not that she'd tell me, but it sure would be an interesting conversation. There's so much speculation around her death... did the Kennedy's kill her or did she commit suicide.

It's hard for me to choose on this one because there are so many ppl that I'd love to sit down with... there are so many ppl that are living today that have been such an inspiration to me - like Maya Angelo - she's such an incredible writer. She has been thru so much, seen so much... she's just truly gifted and an incredible person. I also would love to sit down w/ Stephen King. Now... that would be a fun evening.

Yeah, I know I was only supposed to choose two... but I can't choose! ;) Can you?

hollywood girls/tramps and the likes

What's up w/ these hollywood young starlets? Today I visited Elaine's blog, Sanity, Interrupted, and she has her Friday letters to the stars posted w/ one, in particular, to Lindsay Lohan. (If you haven't checked out Elaine's blog you should, it's good.) Miss Lindsay seems to have forgotten her undies recently and when getting out of a car some photog snapped a pic. The pic proudly displays all of her goodies for the world to see. And believe me.. the pic isn't for the faint of heart. Be prepared for the whole enchilada!! One line comes to my mind.... it's from a Jim Carey movie... but I'll play nice and not say it! ;)

I don't get it. Why not put on some panties before leaving home? Was she too wasted to notice or what? I mean, come on, how do you forget the panties? And... it's not like her skirt was a long one by any means... oh no, it's a short skirt... so the chances are way higher of it happening.

She's not the only one who does this since Paris Hilton made it oh so popular a few months back. She was snapped not once but twice showing her precious to the world. Am I missing something because I think I am, or I've gotten too old for this stuff, because really I'm not getting it and I'm not impressed.

These tramps are starting to grate on my nerves. Here you have a girl, Lindsay Lohan, that wasn't a bad actress in the beginning but she's wasting her life away w/ drugs and boozing. She recently got called on the carpet for not showing up to the set on time and/or missing days by the director of her latest movie and several stars have come out against her and talked badly about her behavior. Since she's compared herself to Marilyn Monroe, I'm sorta just waiting for the rerun of that huge tragedy. Seems she's headed in that direction and no one gives a crap... not even her mother. Her mom just makes excuse after excuse... but hey, when you have a money train in front of ya, what's a girl to do, right??!!!!

Paris Hilton recently got pulled over for drinking and driving - FINALLY... but the poor thing, she claims that she hadn't eaten all day and only had one margarita and then had to have an In N Out burger. This is when she got pulled over. I don't know but I think it's time for the authorities to throw the book at this ppl. The rest of the world has to pay the piper, why don't these ppl? She got off w/ a slap on the wrist but when your papa is a Hilton, what do ya expect!

I guess I'm still somewhat stunned that Paris Hilton is actually selling records. She redid the video to her Stars Are Blind single, which is smart on her part because her lip syncing was the worst I've ever seen. She's a lucky little tramp, I will say that. The money this girl makes... it blows my mind! But hey, I think she shot to stardom after her One Night in Paris or was it after her constant partying ways and provocative outfits on the red carpet? Whatever it is... she has made the most of it.

what's in a weekend?

our weekend was pretty uneventful, so i don't have much to blog about. we did walk around the corniche thursday night, which was nice. the weather was good, ppl were everywhere sitting on blankets, talking, and laughing. children were running and playing, ppl were jogging, guys were playing soccer and there were even rollerbladers - which was a bit odd since it was dark out, but it was nice to see so many ppl enjoying themselves.

while we were walking down the pathway by the seaside, i was somewhat dumbfounded by what i saw coming towards us. there were two guys walking and one guy had a monkey on a leash. it was a little monkey and he had it dressed in girly clothes. i sooo disagree w/ this and it took everything inside of me not to say something. but really, it wouldn't have done any good. i wonder how he got this monkey. i'm assuming they're being smuggled into bahrain.

there's a show that i watch on animal planet called monkey business. the facility is located in the UK and they take in monkeys that have been abused, used for shows on TV or in the streets or in countries in far east asia or the middle east, and some of the monkeys are some that ppl have taken as pets only to realize later that monkeys can't be pets. so many ppl leave these animals chained up outside, in small cages, or try to keep them in their homes, which as soon as the monkey gets old enough, they realize how destructive they are and strong... so they wind up doing whatever they can to get rid of them. anyway.. this is a great show and i'm seriously thinking of contacting them to let them know that monkeys are being brought into bahrain - whatever the means - if they're smuggled or brought in legally. it doesn't matter because it shouldn't be happening.

this is a trade that i so disagree with. usually the mothers are killed in order to get the babies. they are smuggled in crates where many die. they are cared for by ppl who aren't capable of taking care of them, abused because they won't do what their owners want.... or used in shows on TV or in countries like thailand and such... for the enjoyment of humans. so you get ppl seeing these shows and the first thing they think is "oooohhh, i want a monkey". who would get a monkey w/out reading up and researching it first? it's not like having a cat or dog.

my FIL was talking about getting a monkey. i couldn't believe it and, this time, i didn't stay silent. i remember one indonesian housemaid that we had. she told me about the monkeys that her son had tied up outside of their house. i couldn't even listen to the story. sometimes i want to shake ppl and say "WAKE UP!!!!... monkeys shouldn't be pets".

and then... we walked past what used to be the dolphin park. i know that animal orgs have been very busy trying to keep this place from opening up again after the fire... but i have a feeling that this guy knows some higher ups and it will be opened again. here, a fire broke out, one marine animal was killed, parents who left their children unattended at the place rushed there in hopes that their kids hadn't been killed, the place is tooooooo dang small for all the marine animals that they have, it's a safety hazard, what training do the employees at this place have???, but... they wan't to reopen it and put on nightly shows for the public once again. even the owner has argued at how well the animals are kept. OH OK.... yeah, i bet. what degrees do these ppl have that are taking care of the animals? where were they trained? who's training the animals to do the tricks? i believe this place even has a whale, if i'm not mistaken. this place is small and they have a whale, dolphins, sea lions and such! what a shame, truly. ppl don't care here. it's just a place to drop off your child for the night.... and looky looky children... you get to see a whale, dolphins... and they have games for you... and popcorn.

which reminds me of the circus. here they're moving to juffair and i thought they were leaving the country! they've been here for like 3 years now. i grew up w/ circus' coming and going. NEVER have i seen a circus stay so long in one place. usually they are up and outta there in a few wks time. the tigers are kept in small cages outside in this heat - which i informed a few animal rights orgs about some time ago... but... once again, nothing can be done. i wonder why! who's financing this circus? they have a whole village set up for their use. i guess they'll be here forever and no one gives a damn! nightly you see cars packed into that place and for what? to see a man riding around on a horse? to see the tigers come out and be hit w/ whips to jump from one stand to another?! all for the amusement of humans. it makes me sick. i wonder what'll happen when the tigers get sick of it and kill one of the handlers? then... they'll kill the tigers and it'll be talked about for months. personally, i believe the handlers and the ppl who back this crap should be whipped, chained, put in small cages outside and be eaten alive by the tigers. yeah... that's the ticket that i'll buy!!!!!!!

contents of my purse

I was tagged by Leilouta to show the contents of my purse... so here goes :)

I don't carry a lot of things cuz I tend to switch purses depending on my mood, but I think I have a variety of things in this one.

This is what you see:

1) my fake gucci wallet from dubai
2) my favorite gold/jewelled pen
3) cell phone
4) charger for phone
5) various papers/notes
6) vitamins
7) facial powder
8) two packages of chewing gum
9) clinique facial mirror
10) Eve's Kiss lip moisterizer (my personal favorite - great taste and super w/ conditioning)
11) favorite cuticle moisterizer - smells like lemons and is great stuff. found it in texas and i use it sparingly because i don't want to run out!! so i'm very stingy!!
12) various lip glosses including one from clinique that is a lip gloss w/ a hint of red. so perfect and gives just enough of a red tint. the others are somewhat pearl in color. one of the lip glosses - by the papers - has a kind of paint brush type of thing to put the gloss on. i love this. i don't know how many of you use this type, but try it if you haven't. it goes on so nicely w/ this type of tip.
13) two bottles of perfume. the small one is a fake (rip off of expensive cologe) from egypt that smells fabulous and then an oud cologe that has a wonderful smell that i got here in bahrain.
14) used white wadded up tissue ;)

that's it for me. others carry so much in their purses and i do have one purse that has tons of stuff still in it from my trip to the U.S. maybe i should have shared that one...

anyway.... mine is boring compared to you guys'!!

Barbie mania

I was reading a friend's blog, Ms Bees Knees, and she was telling a story about when she was a child and took some Barbie high heels that she wanted for her gal, Barbie, from a store, only for her mother to find out and insist that she return them.


Well...it got me to thinking about when I was young and obsessed with Barbie dolls. I started out playing w/ paper dolls. I loved them for a while but soon realized that they weren't any fun cuz their clothes fell off all the time. For anyone that's played w/ paper dolls, you know what I'm talkin bout! Yeah, there were tons of designs, lots of variety in clothing and such... but they just didn't stay on when walking, talking w/ friends and such! ;)

My next step was to Barbie herself. Oh man, how I loved Barbie. I also got the Ken doll, and so many others. I hate the fact that I can't remember all of their names. I'm sure my sister can and will show me just how well she remembers if she posts to this blog (but it's not really fair cuz she has a 6 yr. old girl)! ;) My dear younger sister.... my dear younger sister.... she got all of my Barbies and destroyed them!!! I don't know if I'll ever forgive her for it! ;) ;) I about died. I couldn't believe she did it. She was such a little heathen, altho she denies it, and she wonders why I was so mean to her! And... she wrote in all of my books - scribbled I should say... but that's another story for another time.

Anyway... where was I?!

Barbies... I loved them. I had a Barbie Corvette that was to die for... gosh, if I only had that now. I had a Barbie swimming pool and a house. I don't know how many of you remember the list I made months ago listing things about myself... but one thing that I mentioned on that list was how I used to believe that my barbies came to life after I went to sleep at night. I'd place them strategically in my room, memorizing where I'd left them and then jump up in the mornings to see if they had moved... always swearing to myself that they had. And... like I said, I didn't tell a soul about this. I was sure they came to life... just sure of it. I still wonder! ;) ;) (yes, i'm kidding or maybe I'm not!!)

I had all kinds of clothes, but my cousin, T, had the best clothes ever. I always loved to play Barbies w/ her because she'd let me borrow the clothes. I used to spend hours by myself playing w/ my Barbies. Ken and Barbie were always a couple.... I guess until I got my other male doll! ;) I played w/ Barbies for a long time.... way past the other girls in school.


Later, when I graduated past Barbie, my mom got me two dolls that were similar to Barbies, but much bigger - 19" matter of fact. One of them was called Tiffany Taylor - this is a pic of her. She was something else. She had blonde hair and brown hair and it would change depending on how you turned the top part of her head. So, if you were in a blonde mood, walah, she had blonde hair. There was another one as well, but I can't remember her name. She has dark brown hair. And... believe it or not, I STILL HAVE these two dolls. I have them in a box in my closet, hoping, waiting for the day I have a little girl. My luck, she won't like barbies!!! Some girls don't like them and insist on playing w/ baby dolls. I was NEVER a baby doll girl.

These two girls that I have, well, you couldn't find clothes easily for them... and all girls know you have to have several changes of outfits for your Barbie dolls. So, one Christmas, I opened a box under the tree and my mom had made me the best clothes ever for my two girls. They were fabulous. She made me go-go boots, skirts, blouses and everything. I still have these clothes, if you can believe it!! I took all of them out one day and showed my husband... I'm sure he expected, at any moment, for me to ask him to play Barbies.... but I didn't. He's lucky! ;)

I have such fond memories of my childhood days. It's too bad that I grew out of Barbies by the time my little sister started playing w/ them. It would have been fun to play together. But, like I said, she destroyed all of my Barbie dolls. But... she had tons of them. My mom and step-dad spoiled her rotten and she got tons of stuff.... yeah... I'm still slightly jealous! ;) But.. she loved it. I'm sure she has a lot of good memories too.

Her daughter, my niece, K, loves playing w/ Barbies. Altho, she's not as in to it as I was as a child. I must admit that me and the hubby bought her her first Barbie. She loved her!! She has some cool stuff too. I glanced thru her Barbie stuff when I was visiting Cali... and was rather impressed. I've always thought that if I didn't have a girl, I'd pass down my big girls to her. I wonder if she'd like them.

The other day we were in a store and I saw, for the first time, a Muslim Barbie. She wasn't called Barbie though... it was something else. She had on a hijab and everything. When I saw her, I thought "wow, she looks a lot like Barbie" and then my husband laughed and pointed her out to me. We both had a good chuckle. Now... I think going back there and taking a snapshot would be cool... then all of you could see her.

Anyway... if any of you know about Tiffany Taylor and this other brown headed doll I have, I'd love to hear from you. If you remember the one's name, I'd love to know. I never played w/ these two dolls as much as I played w/ my Barbies... but I know several girls that had these dolls. Me and one of my friends used to walk to each other's houses carrying these lovelies proudly thru the streets of Madison.... and you know, I was in the 4th grade then. Gosh, how times have changed!! I sit and wonder how many 4th grade girls play w/ Barbies nowadays... I would bet not many.

I want to dedicate this post - SILENCE - to all the people who died on 9/11

sweet sweet Baby

This is a picture of Baby. I took this when I was in junior high school... so many years ago, needless to say. ;) This is my 2nd cat post this week... but... when I remembered that I had this in a group I belong to, I couldn't help but post it. And.. I was talking to a friend of mine today about losing your beloved pets and it reminded me of him.

Baby could be considered my first real cat. One of my brothers brought him home when I was 5 or 6 yrs old. He was a teeny little kitten. My bro says he brought him for my mom, but, needless to say, he instantly became mine! I can remember chasing him around the house and how he'd hide under everything to get away from me.

When I think about Baby, it brings tears to my eyes. He was 18 when I had to have him put to sleep - because of kidney failure. It was the most difficult thing in the world. At that time, I was young and couldn't stay in the room w/ him (I just couldn't bare to watch it), but looking back, I soooo wish I had. It's one thing that I really regret to this day. I loved him so much. After he died, I cried for weeks and mourned his death for months. I still think about him. I even sometimes still cry over him. He was my beloved pet and I'll never forget him.

Baby was always there for me. He never questioned anything and supported me no matter what. He didn't judge me and loved me unconditionally. He slept w/ me every night. I can remember going to grade school and he'd walk to the bus stop w/ me and wait there until the bus came. Once he got stuck in a tree in the dead of winter in Indiana and when I finally found him, he had frozen ice all over him. He got lost several times by straying into someone's parked car - only for them to drive off w/ him while he slept in the back. He always found his way home though, and once I remember going to the pound w/ my mom to pick him up. How he got there, I don't remember. This was the most traumatic for him and me... it took a while for him to get over that one.... and I worried for days that it wasn't Baby... but it was.

He loved to kill things. I can't tell ya how many birds he killed or brought into the house only to let go. I can remember chasing down birds in the house so often as a girl. Once he killed a bunny rabbit. Now... that was the worst sound I've ever heard and would never want to hear that sound again. The way that rabbit sounded when he was killing it. I screamed and cried for him to let it go, but he wouldn't. Finally, my aunt took the rabbit and later lied to me and said that it had survived. I knew better. He killed many a snake and was bitten by many spiders. He was also a fierce tom cat and would beat up any cats that ventured into his territory.

Baby is the cat that was lost when I was a little girl only to be returned by the lady that later took me w/out telling my mom. Don't know how many of you read my blog about that one months ago... but it was a terrible experience and I was just a little girl.

I'll never forget this cat. He forever lives in my mind and heart. Sitting here, I think about something George Carlin once said about pets... he said that they're little tragedies waiting to happen. How true is that!!! My sister's cat just passed away. His name was Rocklyn. She had him for years and found him outside on the table. She called me crying the other day and it broke my heart. For I know the pain of losing a pet. She's better now... and has even gotten herself a new little kitty.... he's completely gray and full of spunk.

Anyway... I was thinking about Baby and just wanted to share.

school daze

School has started once again and our neighborhood will once again see the remnants of it every afternoon. Trash is always left all over the place, and last year we got nice little surprises spray painted on our garage doors and on the trash bins. These boys are so clever, I'll give 'em that much. It takes a certain skill to spray paint naked ladies on the trash dumpsters and to cover up the word "no" in the 'no parking' signs on the front of the garage doors. Maybe instead of mechanics school they should be going to art school!

It won't be soon until we start to see the same guys sitting on the curbs outside of our house and throughout the neighborhood smoking, drinking pop and eating chips or standing around in huge groups, walking and standing in the middle of the street when you're trying to pass in order to get outta the neighborhood while they just stare at you daring for you to say a word - I've experienced this first hand while they stand there and laugh. They're such lovely little creatures! AND... what is it w/ these guys and not being able to throw away their trash? The dumpsters sit not 12 feet away from them - sometimes a foot away - but they are unable to toss their junk in the appropriate dumpster. They'd rather smoke up a storm until the bell sounds and then either skip class all together or wind up being late each morning. But hey, isn't that what highschool's about? I know w/ these guys, it's all about skipping and being punks.

There's something about this group of guys this year. They look different. Me and the hubby were on our way to work this morning and we both looked at each other at the same time and said "did you see that guy". This particular guy had a beard! And a lot of them look to be in their 20s. Shoot... maybe they are! Or maybe we've had some surprise hormones being added to the meat for the last few years?? Every year these guys look different and this year... they all look so old! Or maybe I'm just getting old.... hmmmm.... maybe that's it! ;)

Something else that really got me to thinking was the article in the GDN yesterday about the restrictions they're putting on the college kids at the UoB. Boy, I'm sure everybody's really excited about going to school this year! They're creating such a positive atmosphere for the students. Really makes you wanna jump up and click your heels together, doesn't it?

But hey, when you have the religious police putting their noses into everything, it doesn't surprise me that college kids will now no longer be allowed to wear what they want. And it sucks really. Can you imagine!!!??? Here you're going off to college - which should be a time for freedom, self awareness/a time to explore who you really are - but NO.... these ppl are making sure that you're being told what you can and can't wear. No longer can you sport the skirts above the knee, you can't wear t-shirts w/ anything on the front that *they* feel is inappropriate (and who are they to judge or decide what's appropriate!), girls can't wear tight shirts that emphasize their breasts (oh God, imagine!... and this one in particular makes me laugh cuz I sit and wonder WHO is going to be the one going around campus looking at the girl's boobs deciding who wearing the tightest and who should be sent home... hehhehe), and then girls won't be allowed to wear shayla's that bring attention to their eyes especially if they're wearing a lot of make-up (hmmm... ok, the girls do get a little carried away w/ the eye make-up here, but shouldn't that be their right to wear make-up or not wear make-up?!), and definitely no night dresses under abayas (so forget about getting outta bed and throwing an abaya on to go to school)... and then you have the guys. No strange hair color for the boys (gosh, we all liked purple, green and pink so much!), no long hair, no bermuda shorts or shorts period, no flip flop sandals (gosh, I would have died!!!!!), and no t-shirts w/ inappropriate slogans on the front.... so basically what we have here is a complete stifling of basic human rights and freedom!

This all brings up memories of when they made lingerie shops take down lingerie wearing mannequins from the shop windows because they said that young boys were standing around in the front of the stores getting turned on.... yeah, ok, right. I think the older guys imposing this stuff were the ones getting a wee bit turned on.... that's my personal opinion... but hey, I could be wrong... have been in the past.

I don't know... I know if I were in college and had to adhere to these types of new rules being imposed by the university, I might seriously consider transferring. Maybe the students are all for it, or maybe they've had some students who've taken the dress code way too far and that's why they've had to do this... I don't know, but it all seems really extreme to me. Making someone wear clothes a certain way just isn't right.

What will it be next? A new law saying that ppl on the street have to wear certain clothes? Gosh, what would the girls do that wear short shorts w/ their butt cheeks hanging out? I've seen it in Sa'ar and I've seen some pretty risque outfits on the streets.... so, I guess we should all watch out! Too bad for Bahrain and too bad for freedom of choice. But... was there ever freedom of choice? NO! So I'm not all too surprised!

aaaahhhhh... to back in college! NO thank you! :)

sweet angel Aimee

This is Aimee. She's a tuxedo kitty and I've had her for about 7 years. I adopted her from a no-kill animal shelter in Carollton, Texas, when she was but a wee little kitten.... she made it soooo impossible for me not to take her. I'll never forget the day.

I was volunteering there and decided to take a look at the kittens, so I went in and there she was.... hanging on the bars of the cage door w/ one arm stuck out - like she was calling me - and she was crying non-stop. I went over to talk to her and she made it known rather quickly that she was meant to come home w/ me. She DID NOT want to be in that cage and never hesitated to let me know. It was love at first sight, I must say! That day, I adopted both Aimee and Puss. Altho they're not sisters, they sure act like it.... they're both pissy w/ each other on days and very affectionate on others.

Aimee has herpes of the eyes and that's why you see the brown around eye and nose area. It's difficult to keep it clean and SHE HATES for me to bother w/ her eyes. She'll try to claw me if I'm not fast in cleaning them and most days she'll flatly refuse to allow me near them. After adopting her, I took her to my vet and he insisted that I take her back - that she wasn't worth having ... because of the herpes... but I refused. I was already in love w/ her and no way could see giving her up.

Her herpes stays in check most days but if there's stress in the house or w/ another cat, it flares up. She has also given it, through licking, to some of our other cats - especially our alpha male, Frankie... but they're all ok. Their eyes itch them sometimes and the area will become inflamed w/ stress... but other than that, you'd never know they have it - except for the brown on Aimee's eyes. Her little brother had to have an eye removed because of it, but luckily she is fine. For any of you that don't know, they get this passed down to them from their mothers.

Aimee is a very caring kitty. She's the momma of our house, altho she's fixed and has been since she was about 7 months old - so she's never had a baby of her own. She babies and loves on all the kitties and calls to them, gives them baths and sleeps and snuggles w/ almost all of them. She loves to play and will carry her toys through the house, crying in a deep throaty cry - letting all of them know that she's in the mood for a game of cat and mouse. She's very talkative and loves attention BUT hates to be picked up. I think a lot of her fears and such come from when she was a kitten. She was handled too often and when she was handled, she was given shots/injections and constantly bothered in a bad way because of the herpes - therefore, she hates anything that closely resembles that type of behavior from a human.

She also hates to have her claws cut and the hubby has to help me hold her while I cut them. And, if I'm not quick, she'll bite me. She can be very aggressive when playing but never means anything bad. She loves to chase things and will forever go after my hands, feet, legs or anything if they're under the covers.

She loves soft food best and kitty treats and is very healthy. Her favorite is to go outside and chase anything that moves. I love to watch her play cuz she's so funny and so serious. If she could catch a bird and kill it, she wouldn't hesitate. She'll watch them for long periods of time and even try sneaking up on them - altho it never works. She'll hide in the bushes waiting for one to come down, but she doesn't realize that she's black and white and can easily be seen... but it doesn't stop her. She also loves to chase leaves and will run forever after them. When the sun is shining, she loves to roll around on the hot cement or tile outside and she loves to eat grass - only to throw it up later when she's in the house.

Aimee is just so sweet... I can't even describe it. She'll lick me and give me kisses and SHE LOVES to lick my husband's scalp. WHY... I have no idea - maybe salt or something. And when she does it... after a bit she'll stop and hold her mouth open in the funniest way... it makes me laugh so hard! It's kinda like she's saying "yuk"... because she always has her tongue out just a little w/ her noise crinkled up a bit... too too funny. :)

AND one thing that I know most of you will not believe but it is the truth... sometimes it sounds like when she talks to me or calls to me that she's saying "momma"... ok, I know she probably isn't, but it sure sounds like it! I just really love this little fat kitty and had to share her w/ all of you! :)

Have a great day......