Austin

some songs are just too sweet. this is one of my favorites... Austin by Blake Shelton (click on Austin, go to video on the website and then choose Austin to hear it live). I learned to love and appreciate Country music following moving here and getting married to a country music lover. While I do not like country songs across the board, I have developed an ear for quite a few of them. Below is an example. Enjoy the love!

She left without leavin' a number
Said she needed to clear her mind
He figured she'd gone back to Austin
'Cause she talked about it all the time
It was almost a year before she called him up
Three rings and an answerin' machine is what she got

If you're callin' 'bout the car I sold it
If this is Tuesday night I'm bowlin'
If you've got somethin' to sell, you're wastin' your time
I'm not buyin', if it's anybody else, wait for the tone
You know what to do and P.S. if this is Austin
I still love you

The telephone fell to the counter
She heard but she couldn't believe
What kind of man would hang on that long
What kind of love that must be
She waited three days, and then she tried again
She didn't know what she'd say
But she heard three rings and then

If it's Friday night I'm at the ballgame
And first thing Saturday, if it don't rain
I'm headed out to the lake
And I'll be gone, all weekend long
But I'll call you back when I get home
On Sunday afternoon and P.S. if this is Austin
I still love you

Well, this time she left her number
But not another word
Then she waited by the phone on Sunday evenin'
And this is what he heard

If you're callin' 'bout my heart
It's still yoursI should've listened to it a little more
Then it wouldn't have taken me so long to know where I belong
And by the way, boy, this is no machine you're talkin' to
Can't you tell, this is Austin, and I still love you

I still love you

Speed Limit

I wanted to write an email but I did not know who to send it to. So, I decided to just write it and post it on my blog and that way whoever is interested can read it and whoever is not would be spared having to delete one more correspondence from me.

Jeff arrives today - he has been in California since Monday. And while I did not drive him to the airport it looks like I will be picking him up - much to the detriment of my Mother, if she knows. Why so? Well, simply because this means I am going to be driving Route 66 at 12:33 am to be where he is and take him home. I must admit it is a scary prospect, but now I have no choice - he just cancelled his scheduled cab so I am his only ride.

Being married to Jeff has certainly been a growing experience for me - a growing and sometimes a conflict-generating experience; internal conflict-generating, that is. Let me explain:

Take for example this drive that I am going to make tonight. For years and years I had been cautioned against driving at night. My driving curfew was set at 10:00 pm in Beirut (and while I sometimes broke that curfew, most of the times I was expected to be home by then). I was not to take the car out after dark but if I was already out before the sun set I was expected to park by the assigned time.

I was not to drive in the rain - and certainly not in rain storms. And while lately Jeff has advised me to stay "high and dry" with the rain storms here, it is generally accepted, and even expected, that I can handle any climate situation. Why I even drove in the snow once, no pains were made about that. Rather, I was commended for that.

Speed limit was set at 50 - kilometers per hour, that is. And now the slowest I drive is 35 miles an hour. Why if Mom or Dad were to ride with me they would be frantic about how fast I am going. "Drive Slow" has always been - and still is - my Mom's every advice when I tell her I am driving somewhere. But how do I explain? Going slow on the highway is by far more dangerous than going the designated speed. I sure do dread the first time she is going to sit next to me while driving on the highway here - that is going to be a tough one.

And how about "stay dry and do not go out in the rain." I am sure many of us had had that shoved down their throats many a times as they were growing up. But that all changed for me when last Saturday Jeff and I went to Riverdance at the Wolf Trap. For over two hours we sat under our umbrellas while it was pouring down on us. Had my Dad seen me, he would have surely wondered what on earth was I doing, or worse what my husband, who should be my protector, putting me through. "Making memories" that is what we were doing. And, while I did not enjoy the rain as much as I did the show, I must admit it was an okay experience.

And how about no eating in bed, do not wipe your hands on your clothes, put the dishes away as soon as the meal is done, take care of laundry as soon as it is dry, and so on and so forth. I hate to think of all the things that I now do differently. It scares me to think that I have changed, I am different person now than I was before. This is not necessarily a bad thing, it is just different. And different is scary until it becomes familiar. I am proud, though, that I am embracing change with an open mind - it is helping me grow and become my own self, a unique human being.

What I realized, though, is that changing does not mean giving up on your past or your parents or those who contributed to making you a growup. It does not mean you are ungrateful to what they have done, or turning your back on them. It merely means taking the best out of everything you learned and molding it to fit your form. It means giving special thanks to those you lost sleep over you and worried about you. It means honoring them and repaying them their debt.

Ranya's Travelling Feet

From sea to shining sea and from ocean to bigger ocean my feet have been.

While on the East coast of the Mediterranean they embarked on land and air trips to sister coasts and neighbor seas. From the Syrian coast to the Turkish coast, my feet soaked the summer sun on sandy and rocky beaches. They traveled to the Red Sea whose waters they dived and took the bus to the Dead Sea where they floated in all peacefulness.

Soon enough, they left the warm waters of the Mediterranean for the cold Pacific.
The Pacific promised them newer ground and marvelous treasure. It imparted on them its different fruits and introduced them to exotic varieties.

From there they departed again – the Atlantic is now their home. Unfortunately, the Atlantic is too far to enjoy on a regular basis. Once they have been to its coast but many a times have then been to the Chesapeake Bay and the Potomac River banks.

But because of the distance separating them from the water, my feet have decided to remain grounded. And the ground is proving to be just as bountiful for them. So far they have been to 13 states and have more lined up for time to come. They have been to some states for longer and more frequently than others, but so the story goes - where there are loved ones there the feet roam. And there are loved ones both along the coast of the various seas and oceans and inland among the lakes and among other land.

Where my feet will go next only the future knows. But what my feet do know is that they will be going on their second trip to Minnesota in July, this time to stay at one of the Great Lakes. In November they will fly out to Seattle again and from there take the car to Portland for a second visit this year. Hopefully they will head to the Mediterranean again in 2007 - but that is still a ways away. For the time being, they will do their best to discover the area around them and keep moving!

I Carry ~

Another inspirational poem I came across recently. One morning while I was still in my job hunting days with not much to do I decided to watch In Her Shoes. I am not a big fan of Cameron Diaz (and I actually would not choose to watch any of her movies, especially after movies like 'There is something about Mary', but this one I decided to watch because of the underlying 'sisterly' theme...As it turned out, it was another movie of Cameron's that I would not recommend (and I thought it was more of a pity-party movie aimed at wooing the viewer into feeling sorry for the character of Cameron (to whom I felt no sympathy). However, and after an hour and some of sitting through the movie something good came out of it. The poem below....

"I carry your heart with me (I carry it in my heart)
I am never without it
(anywhere I go you go, my dear;
and whatever is done by only me is your doing, my darling)

I fear no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet)
I want no world (for beautiful you are my world, my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

Here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;
which grows higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

I carry your heart (I carry it in my heart)"

~ EE Cummings

One GIANT leap forward

Today, I made a giant leap in the history of my fitness regimen. Today I did something that only a few weeks ago was unthinkable!! Something that I would have thought was "impossible," "obsessive," "one step too far," "undoable." But today, I scratch these terms from my glossary and I am proud to say that -

I exercised during my lunch break!!!

Can you believe it? This may have just put me on the gymoholic list but I do not care. And while others were eating or sitting in front of the computer screen, I was in my shorts and t-shirt making strides on the elliptical machine in our building's exercise room. And, boy did it feel good! Sure I was watching the Food Network while working out - but I was working out, and that is what counts. And, sure I only put in 25 workout minutes but that is definitely better than not putting in any minutes!

Yes of course I have been more fit in the past than I am now, and I certainly have been smaller than I am now. But as of today I placed myself on the fitness map, and I have given fitness (which had already existed in my dictionary) a central location on my map. As of today, there is no turning back to the dark ages when exercising was not part of the routine.

Diary of a tomato plant - part 3: Here I am!

Here I am! Can you see me among the green leaves? I am the little green ball hanging down from one of the stalks. Wow! It did not take me long to come out – it has barely been a month since we arrived here and yet sure enough I am out already. This is exciting. Now, I can see the whole big world from a whole new angle. Of course my world is confined to the inside of the apartment and the building on the opposite side of the street and whatever else is in between. Still, I am enthusiastic about my change – and after all one’s world is as big or as small as one makes it. I am determined to make mine as big as I can and to learn and grow as much as I can while I can.

Now Jeff and Ranya’s world is much bigger than mine – way bigger. And this past weekend, it just got bigger when they discovered a new part of Virginia –historic downtown Charlottesville and Waynesboro.

Jeff and Ranya had actually been to Charlottesville before with their respective parents last year. They visited Monticello, the home of Jefferson, and ate fried chicken at the Michie Tavern. And it actually was the fried chicken that brought them back this year. Ever since that trip last year they had been talking about revisiting the place that had the “best fried chicken” they have yet to eat. So, this year they decided to make a weekend vacation out of it.

Ranya researched a nice bed and breakfast for them to stay at – the Trees Street Inn – in Waynesboro, around 25 miles west of Charlottesville. The Inn was spectacular, with a back porch, a pool and a sunroom. Their suite was very lovely, too. They had a four poster queen bed and a living room along side of it – not that they spent much time in their room but still it was nice that they had comfortable arrangements.

While the sleeping arrangements were splendid, Ranya could not say the same about the breakfast. Although she did enjoy the first day’s selection of fresh toast, butter and jam, granola and eggs and hash browns, the second day’s breakfast was less than satisfying. So much so that Jeff and Ranya ended up going almost straight to lunch from their after-breakfast nap.

Saturday was a full day for the Mikes. They woke up in time to see the sunrise at Skyline drive a 20minute car ride from their sleeping quarters. Following breakfast they headed back in the direction of Skyline drive but this time went a few more exits past it to historic downtown. There they spent time touring the Saturday Market (which happens to be one of Ranya's favorite activities and one she has not been getting her fill from ever since they moved to DC) and downtown Charlottesville.

For lunch, they headed out to Michie Tavern for a lunch of fried chicken, potato salad, stewed tomatoes and more fried chicken. Of course, desert was on their minds as well, and the sweet peach cobbler topped off the salty thighs and legs and breasts and wings. And that was all they could eat for the rest of the day. At least until dinner time - which for them came at an alarming time - 11:00 p.m!

Another drive to downtown is what was needed in order for them to eat. And after browsing all the listings on Magellan and then on feet, they decided on an Italian tapas place -Al-Dente. In all reality, that was one of four other places that was still serving dinner at that un-Godly hour in small town Charlottesville. Of course the bars were still open but they were not serving food - not even bar food! Ranya and Jeff were happy with their choice, though, and they enjoyed a cool, calm night out.

It was after midnight when they finally hit dream land again and wished they could stay there always. But they had to return to normal life in noisy Arlington and so the next afternoon back they went. I am glad they are home, though, cause I miss them when they are gone.

Diary of a tomato plant - part 2

So I have been in my new home for a week. During this time Ranya visited me once and watered me once. Jeff, on the other hand, did not stop by to say hi but rather looked at me from a distance - from the comforts of the couch. My flowers are growing though I am not gaining much height yet. Although I am a little jealous of my other plant friends, I do like their company, especially in the dark night and when I hear police and fire sirens. Sirens scare me, but I feel safe behind the railings on the 11th floor.

The reason I am jealous from my plant friends is because they seem to get more attention from Ranya than I do. She constantly waters the Mint and Jeff comes out and cuts off some stems for their salads and sandwiches. I know that they like Mint in their Labneh sandwiches and Jeff likes it in Tabbouleh. This morning, Ranya harvested the remaining of the Parsley that she had planted a while ago. Now, we are going to be without parsley for a while - at least until the new shoots come out; Ranya had planted some new seeds some few days ago but parsley takes a long time to get started. The Basil is still alive, although I do not think that it is doing so well. I heard Ranya saying that if the Basil does not show progress soon she is going to have to get another one. Of course it would be great to have one more companion, but I do not know if that means that the present Basil is going to be thrown out or if they are going to keep it.

The newest sprouts on the block are the Rocca. Well actually, you can say that they are the oldest on the block if you wanted to be totally accurate; that is because the present Rocca is the second growth and they are already making their way out towards the sun. Ranya actually imported the Rocca seeds from Beirut knowing very well that they do not exist in the US. Now, she and Jeff are very happy with the results and with the wonderful Rocca and Onion salads they have. Ranya also imported another Lebanese herb - Rcheed- but Jeff preferred the Rocca so now the long black planter is housing only that. There also were some Radishes at one time, but those were also eaten - enjoyed alongside fried fish and baba ghannouj.

The weather has been nice lately, not too hot and not rainy either. Although there is current talk of thunderstorms I do not think those will materialize. They have been talking about these for a while now but all the excitement is for nothing. Every night I muster my courage against the thunder and the lightening but my energy goes to waste. So, tonight I am not going to make a big deal out of it. I really do not fear much for myself because my pot is low on the ground and away from the railings. I fear for the Mint and the Rocca the most because they are placed on high shelves and they are very close to the railings. They do not seem too scared, though, and I think that is because they carry enough of their own which makes them feel safe.