Things I have recently observed...

1. Lightening striking the Sears Tower at night. There was a cracking noise and sparks!
2. Indiana, at times, smells like hotdog water.
3. A removed mountain top.
4. A crow of a rooster waking me up in the morning.
5. The taste of unwashed, Appalachian blackberries, as fresh as a bear would eat.

Omar Souleyman

The other day I heard Bjork on NPR. She oh-so-whimsically introduced me to Omar Souleyman, a Syrian musician. I could listen to his distinctly Arab take on techno probably forever. I don't know the name of the traditional stringed instrument you usually hear in Arabic music, but Souleyman replaces it with a synth. Further, as you see in this rock and roll video , another man often whispers lyrics in his ears, which are then added to the song.

In Bjork's significantly more endearing words:

When they are really warmed up and going for it at a good-times party, Harbi stands next to him on stage and chain-smokes. Then he will whisper poetry in his ear that he's writing at the moment. Omar will sing it immediately in the microphone and run around the room, exciting people there. I thought it was quite exciting for a poet and an emcee to work together.

The collaboroation, however, doesn't strike me as particularly innovative--I grew up watching qawalli videos with my dad, where they often write-sing poetry as they go. That said, those performers didn't wear leather jackets and aviators with their old school mustaches and dishdashas (they also didn't really wear dishdashas, since qawals aren't Arab). It's also a little like freestyling, except that Souleyman uses someone else's lyrics.

To summarize:
1) expect to hear the song "Leh Jani" on repeat in my precense and at my wedding. I might even try to get everyone to do the dance--it will be a "good-times party".
2) listen to Bjork on NPR's You Must Hear This; even if you don't care for Souleyman's music, her voice is so irresistably sweet and cute.

JT's Blog

http://www.justintimberlake.com/news/


Justin Timberlake's blog is full of actually interesting things. I'm not saying that because I am in love with Justin Timberlake. Particularly, I thought this was awesome. I've also decided that JT's song "Damn Girl" will play as I walk into my wedding reception. I don't care who it offends, because it'll be soooo accurate in reflecting everyone's thoughts at that very moment. (In case you don't want to hear it, it basically goes like this, "Damn girl, you're so fine" and "I said there something bout the way you do the things you do when you do the things you do its got me Oh! Oh! Oh!")


Wouldn't it be so perfect if he could be there singing it? Perfect for everyone but Neema.

China Patterns

I keep expecting that x or y about the getting married process will be fun or exciting, but so far everything's just frustrating. It's frustrating because everything about marriage is pretty conventional, which is frustrating because conventional
1) bores Neema,
2) tends to be patriarchal/capitalist,
3) is nonetheless unavoidable,
4) makes both our moms sooooo happy,
5) and is actually appealing, if only #2 didn't bug me so much.

I'm figuring out what needs to go on my registry. I thought picking things out that others will buy for me would be super exciting. Yet, I'm encountering a host of problems.*
I've mostly been focusing on dinnerware, and it's overwhelming.
1. The few things I really like are
a) seasonal or something, and therefore soon-to-be-discontinued
b) made to be used in the outdoors, and therefore plastic
c) for kids, not married adults


Puelba Dinnerware, Pottery Barn




Outdoor Dinnerware, Pottery Barn




Ceramic Animal Plate, Pottery Barn Kids



2. Honestly, I would just register for animal plates; but not only are they technically for kids, they are on sale. This means they're gone in a month or so. And I'm getting married next year. And no one in my family would buy kids' plates for me anyways. And they're $23 each. Why are plates so expensive? In class we would talk about how women of color often face multiple oppressions--an example being that of an African-American woman having to turn to a often-racist/brutal police force to report domestic abuse and risk sending another member of her community to jail. I'm oversimplifying it, nonetheless there is a parallel in my mind between the compacted oppressions many face in the real world and the compacted oppressions I face in the china-choosing world. This juxtaposition in my mind is a gross injustice against real injustice, but I can't help it.


3. I also really, really love this Medallion set from Target, which also is not likely to be around next year. I would have to register for a few sets of it (since I looooove having people over for dinner), and would likely have to get some plain white serving platters, bowls, etc. to go with it. I don't want to think about it much, though, again, because of the good chance I won't be able to register for it. It breaks my heart that it's so affordable/lovely/much like the unaffordable/lovely Hermes Balcons Du Guadalquivir collection:

A five-piece place setting (for one person) is $430. It astounds me that some people in this world can be starving and others can eat off of $125 dinner plates. That said, the 16-piece Target set at $50, I'm sure, is unaffordable and exorbitant for many. Further, given the option between my longtime if-I-had-the-money-and-the-conscience purchase, the Hermes Kelly Bag and the Balcons Du Guadalquivir, I don't know that I could choose.


4. Mostly only traditional (read: boring) china sets at places like Macy's and Williams-Sonoma don't tend to be only seasonal. I'm worried I'll have to settle and eat off of plain, white plates forever.

If so, I prefer some texture:
Pillyvuyt Basketweave Dinnerware, Williams-Sonoma




5. I'm not sure if these will/have been discontinued, but if not, what do you think of
Laurel Canyon by Kate Spade? I mostly like it because of the animal print involved. But will I like it when I get tired of animal prints? Will I get tired of animal prints? Would a boy like these plates? To eat off of forever? Do I have to use these forever?



6. Can you believe that I still haven't covered like a ton of other stuff I need to register for? Linens and whatever.

7. I seriously just spend an hour writing about china patterns on my blog. Ideally, I would just have spent an hour at the flea market with Neema and picked one of each different plates/mugs/tea sets or whatever and eat off/entertain with that stuff. Pottery Barns makes me feel like that's impossible/ugly/not reasonable.

8. If I go all-white, could I get pieces from different collections to make it less boring?

9. Whatever I choose, I will probably break within a couple of days of receiving it. I am clumsy.

*Did I use 'host' correctly in this sentence?"

humidity

Oftentimes, the air, here in my home state of Kentucky, makes the sky different. While a Texan sky is a canopy, a summer Kentucky sky is a wet, warm blanket. The moisture creates a sort of dulling, obscuring mist that settles around everything. The sky no longer seems majestic, a strong still blue hovering above me; rather, it's a moist weight tucked in around reality. Although there is some comfort in being wrapped up, the heat is quickly stifling.

And mostly my mom does not run the air conditioning. I get very sweaty.

mangni

I had an Indian engagement party, mangni, on Saturday, making Neema and me officially official, or something. I took off my engagement ring before everyone came and Neema put it back on me when everyone was there. The Iranian part was when candy pieces were thrown at me without warning. They hurt a little but they also tasted delicious. I put a "traditional" Indian hat on Neema. Most of my huge family was there, laughing. It was lovely having the people who grew up in the same home, ate from the same hands, and slept on the same floors as I did, there with me.*

*I can't really decide how to puncuate or more clearly write this sentence. Suggestions?

Exclamation Points

Clearly, I overuse them when blogging from the car.