THE SITUATION

What is the problem with this situation!

How is it that you can introduce your boyfriend to a friend of yours. Then your boyfriend and your “friend” have conversations that are not discussed with you? They are in a since private conversations that neither your boyfriend or the friend tells you about.

Now, lets had another layers to this situation… There is another “friend.” And your boyfriend goes out to dinners with and not once has invited your to join them… Keep in mind that you haven’t spoken to this other “friend” in about 3 months and neither the “friend” or the boyfriend and mentioned you… ask where are you… when is the last time who spoke!!!

Now, how would you feel if you called your boyfriend and they were on the phone with your “friend” and did not click over to answer you. But instead continued the conversation. When you asked them who they were talking to, they say your friend. You ask why didn’t they click over and they say, because we were have an intense conversation… SHOULD THERE EVER BE AN INTENSE CONVERSATION BETWEEN your mate and your “friend”?


There is more to come on this subject… what do you think people!

The Maddness of Men

I would have to say that I've been a bit stupid. I am not sure if this is a problem yet, but I wanted to know if anyone has experienced this type of issue. I have someone I who I am friends with who no longer talks to me yet still hangs out with my boyfriend.

So, I called him and asked. He said it was something to do with not wanting to be a third wheel. I didn't believe him, so I asked what was the real issue. He then opened up and said it was about him thinking I was angry or upset that we didn't hook up? I found this crazy, considering neither of us were interested in each other after our initial meeting, but we hung out as friends.

I probed again - gentility, no, what it the real reason, non of this makes sense. He deferred to a comment that I make a few months prior about a Disney movie with the first Afro-American princess. I joking commented that after all these years she's still not black enough. He was upset with me, but never told me the real reason. He was holding to these feelings. He was hanging out and calling my boyfriend but not calling me or talking to me.

So, I came to him like a man should and as I said before asked why! Again he deferred to a new statement. I didn't know how to being up that I was still upset with that comment you made.

By the end of the conversation, so we made up and called it a day. we agreed that everything was Ok. Its nice to have my buddy back! Sadly, it was the first time we talk in about three months.

Through The Darkness

It is hardest to see the light at the end of any tunnel until someone starts to leads you through the darkness!

What We Had For Breakfast!

Today, Saad and I decided instead of going to Dennys, Bob Evans, I-Hop or Cracker Barrel for breakfast, we would go to the market and pick up some groceries and cook for ourselves. We save a bit of money by doing so and it was a good time for us to bond over brewing coffee and sizzling eggs! The feeling in the air was more than magical, just what Saad and I needed, a quiet comfortable morning.



At the end of whipping up a masterful breakfast we sat in front of an open sliding glass door with a wonderful morning breeze blowing through our flat. Saad sat the table, poured the coffee, the orange juice, and laid the flatware. Our neighbors seem to notice that something was in the air as their heads poked out from behind doors and window to get a whiff of what was cooking! We didn't invite them, but it was fun to watch their smiles and hands rub bellies. It was if they imagined what our breakfast would taste like on their lips.


At last... Breakfast was ready. We sat at the table, Saad saying grace in Arabic. We looked at each other, gave a good smile and dove into what was one of our best breakfast. Off in the distances, neighbors hustled to finish their yard work, lawnmowers buzzing & sheers clipping. We finished our breakfast with a toss of hot hazelnut coffee and a cheese danish. Today is definitely a good day. Our breakfast, Eggs sun-side up, Shiitaki mushroom/redskin potato hash, smoked turkey breast, multigrain roll, fresh fruit, Camembert cheese and you know the rest! YUM!

The fresh scent of Sangak bread

Persians are more than a part of my life, they are now a part of my soul. I have been blessed to be part of a Persian family. Persian traditions have become a part of my daily life and I am not sure how I ever lived without them, its as if I was born into the wrong family. I must admit - my Farsi is horrible but I am working on it and someday I will truly be able to communicate like a real Persian. So, today I will introduce you to Sangak. It is a bread made in a stone hearth and it is one of the most amazing tasting breads you will ever come across.



This is the Story of the Bread Masters of the Sangak by: Ali Moayedian. Every morning when we woke up, there it was; fresh Sangak bread from the local bakery. My father, who is in his 80s, and still faithfully taking care of his children, would walk to the bakery every morning and buy the fresh bread for us. The sight of fresh Sangak was but one of the things that made our last August trip to Iran a memorable.


Sangak is one of the main traditional breads in Iran. It is made in a gas fired brick oven. The baker, called Shater in Iran, will mix make the dough every day and usually makes the bread three times daily starting in the early mornings.



During our previous trip to Iran in summer of 2002, I had paid a visit to the local bakery with my father and taken pictures from the place and the Shater. This time around, equipped with a better camera, I mentioned to my father that we should take more pictures from the bakery. And without wasting any time, the next morning he had promised the Shater that I'd be there to take pictures J And from that day on, my father pressed me every day that we should go do it. But somehow things wouldn't work out and I kept pushing the plan to the next day.

As we kept closer to our departure date, my father kept reminding me every day about the photo shoot. He was really worried the Shater may become unhappy with him. And believe me you want to be in good standing with high profile people like the Shater in Iran. When it comes to Sangak, one cannot take these things lightly as it is one of the critical lifelines for the Iranians. What we are talking about is a steady and high quality flow of Sangaks, and with occasional splashing of sesame seeds!!


So finally I gave in and the last day of our trip we made the historical visit to the Sangak bakery. It seemed time hadn't moved since my last trip there five years earlier. The faithful Shater was still going and going. While in our high tech jobs we keep jamming more transistors on chips every year, and we keep shrinking the geometries, the Sangak was still the same old Sangak. It hadn't grown or shrunk. But the looks and the aroma were still as great as ever.


I chatted with the Shater a bit too. He said his name is Hassan Sabahi (I hope I have it right since I waited so long to write this). He then said, very proudly, that recently they had shot videos of his bakery to show abroad. But since he was really busy, I had to minimize the interruption. I took some pictures which I promised him to publish them on the internet. We then left happily with a few fresh Sangaks which I can promise you we put to good use with feta cheese and sour cherry jam J As they say in Iran: "wish you were there too!"

In loving memory of Iraj Entezari - Love you Daddy... You are always in my heart.

In Need Of God!

I can hear the buzzing loud music from my alarm clock. I was already awake but I lied in bed longer than I should have. I looked over and the Alarm clock – read – 8:24am. I dreaded the idea of actually making it to my ten o’clock meeting.

Today was unlike most days… I woke up with butterflies in my belly. This usually happens when I know something was wrong or when I know that I was in trouble. I tried to relive this feeling of anxiety with a cup of coffee and it has about as much effect as a Band-Aid on a bullet hole.

I didn’t bother to wash-up, I just brushed my teeth. I jumped into my car and drove off an hour and twenty minutes earlier than I should have. 9 o’clock – I made it to my destination. I didn’t see their vehicles so I knew that I was early. I pulled out my keys and unlocked the door – I just wanted to have another look around before those so very final words would sit at the bottom of my belly along with the butterflies.

Two of my employees where already there… we spoke, I shook their hands and told them thank you. They looked surprised as if they didn’t know what I was telling them. It was true, they didn’t know. The door buzzer when off as someone new walked into the building; it was Jim, the founder.

With out words, I passed my keys and managers card over to him. He looked me in my eyes and said I’m sorry! I’m sorry that it had to end this way. You were the best we’ve ever had and it is unfortunate that it must end this way. Of course we will not dispute unemployment benefits for you… and it will go on your record as an indefinite layoff with a good reference for your next employers. I was mute and felt the sting of his word lash across my reality.

It was now clear… All the sounds around me came back into focus and I could finally discern the reality from the fiction playing in the foreground of my mind. I stood up not realizing that we had even sat down the talk. I bundled up my things and quietly walked out the front door wishing this morning hadn’t come. The rain made the moment even more surreal as slow moving clouds concealed the suns rays hampered my recovery. What did I miss!? How could I have been such a fool to not see the signs, I thought? It didn’t matter anymore. I had only one option left!

It’s funny how we always seem to turn back to God for comfort in our moments of pain, hurt, feelings of loneliness, or most importantly when we are lost! So, today I ask God, to help me through this period of being lost. I also ask that God provide me with a lesson from this failure and grant me the wisdom to not make the same errors in judgment again. I lastly ask that God show me a way, a reason to keep on moving ahead! Can you do that for me God??

EARTH DAY

Today is a day of Earthiness... what does it mean? Well, I think it means that people around the world, for one day out of 365 days, decided not to trash the planet. Its good to remember that if we kill the planet - it means the end of us and all of its other inhabitants. So, lets have a little more Earthiness more often than just one day out of that 365!!!