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so many little things

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purple silk from Morocco

So many little things to report:

a) I did my one good deed today…I found a little stuffed animal sheep on the sidewalk when I was out for my morning jaunt.  I thought to myself, “Hey Assie, this must be an early Easter gift that someone just lost.  How sad.” Then I looked ahead and saw about 3-5 blocks in the far off distance a woman with a stroller.  I decided that there was maybe a 65% chance that the sheep belonged to her kid so I might as well try and return the animal to them.  Sure enough it was theirs and the mother/nanny/friend was sooooooooooo grateful.  I felt like the shiz-nat.

b.) I had a garbage man say good morning to me today outside of Jeremy’s clothing store.  This was momentous because 1.) he didn’t say good morning to the people in front of me and 2.) I was hidden behind my hat and looked deathly so he must have made an extra special effort to produce his greeting.

c.) I made the following recipe today in an effort to try and use some semi-expired yogurt that had never been opened.  IT IS  SO TASTY (and moist, although I don’t like to use the word moist too often)!!  The taste is reminiscent of Intermezzo’s bread and Emily’s sweet pizza dough.  Love it.

Courtesy of Stonyfield Farm

Ingredients
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 large eggs, beaten
1 cup plain Stonyfield Farm Yogurt
1/2 cup honey
1 teaspoon dried dill
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Shift the flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt together into a large bowl. In another bowl, beat the cooled butter, eggs, yogurt and honey until frothy; add the herbs and beat again. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients; pour the liquid mixture into the well and stir with a wooden spoon until thoroughly blended. Pour into a lightly greased 8×4-inch bread pan and bake for 40 – 50 minutes.
Yields
1 loaf

d.) I have my confirmation number for a ham.  How often do you have a confirmation number for ham?

day 2

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one of my favorite faces in this world

It is officially day 2 of being back in California without a 9-6 job to go to.  Although having so much free time is great, I have a sinking suspicion that I might get bored and go crazy sooner than anticipated.  In the past two days I have gone for walks, played with photos, planned Easter brunch for my parents (who are coming this weekend), applied for jobs, cleaned my car, thought about what to do with my life, worried about what to do with my life, and made two batches of ice cream.  I think I need to either get a part-time job, volunteer, or develop some new hobbies.

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Yesterday while on a walk, an older woman said good morning to me.  This is probably the 4th time since November that a random stranger has greeted me in passing (not counting any Vietnamese greetings…people were amazingly cordial there).  Number 4 and counting.

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The day before yesterday a man from my apartment called me madame.  I never get called madame (in the U.S.).  For some reason this hit my sweet spot and made me smile for 10-20 seconds.  Hot diggity dog I guess I am a madame. 


ok, here goes

It is really hard to capture the beauty of Morocco in a picture, but even harder to describe in words. I am going to try to relive each day as best I can, but I have to narrow down my 700 photos to a select few.

ok, here goes…

Day 1: March 18, 2007

Woke up at 4:30am to catch our flight to Morocco. Went to the largest airport known to man (in Paris). Downed our cafe and loaded the plane with extreme nervous anticipation. An excited Moroccan woman caused a stink with the stewards and I got to sit next to an old Moroccan lady who talked to herself during the entire flight (both of which added to our nervousness).  Arrived in Fez.  Half the land looked dry and half the land was green and well manicured.  First impressions while driving to our hotel still included slight anxiety about what we were getting ourselves into.

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Went to our hotel which was a former palace. We were greeted by our guide, Saida, other traveler, Joy, and mint tea (which I am now addicted to).  Took off to tromp through the medina…a surviving medieval civilization supported by UNESCO. The narrow streets were a maze of overwhelming stimulation.  There were hole in the wall produce markets with olives, meats, breads, sweets, snails…you name it we could probably find it. Donkeys carried cargo while masses of people tried to walk through the narrow passageways and avoid getting lost.

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Stopped in a Koran school then had lunch of couscous and salad. Viewed women in the process of making carpets and tried to avoid making a $5,000 rug purchase. Saw the leather treatment plant (a tannery) which was quite a site and smell (we had to sniff mint while watching). All of the places we were lead to were behind random passage ways which we never would have known existed unless we had someone guide us there…amazing.

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Went back to the hotel to rest and get ready for the first dinner. Dinner was in a dar, a house (now restaurant) without an open garden in the middle courtyard. The food was great…8 different salads to share, bread, wine, beef skewers, fruit and mint tea for dessert.  While eating we were treated to traditional Moroccan music and dancers.  Of course there was a belly dancer who required participants and I got to be a lucky contestant. Fortunately, Joy (the other traveler in our group) passed up the opportunity to belly dance so she instead was called to participate in a mock marriage which required her to get into traditional wedding attire, ride in a carriage and spin around on top the shoulders of three burly women, then dance with her new Irish husband (who was about my age).  I am so glad that wasn’t me.

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Day 2: March 19, 2007

Had a great night sleep but woke up at 5am to the call for prayers (which happens 5 times a day).  For about 15-20 minutes loudspeakers throughout Fez call the locals to get up and pray…I wish I could capture the sound.  Went to breakfast on the terrace and then viewed one of the king’s 72 palaces with 7 doors.  Saw the Jewish section of town and a synagogue. Then went to one of the two fortresses to see a view of all of Fez.  Stopped at a ceramic studio and viewed men creating bowls, carving each tile by hand into the correct shape for a ceramic piece, then arrange by tiles upside down before pouring cement over the entire piece. Bought a couple of ceramic dishes.

Went back to the medina for lunch and met the proud owner.  His second wife was quite the cook (polygamy is ok in Morocco). Went to a scarf making site and practiced covering our heads then had our hands henna tattooed at an herb shop.

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Went to fortress #2 for another view of the city. Stopped for coffee and cookies, an event that became common practice on our trip.  In Morocco women are not allowed to sit outside and be seen so at all the cafes you only see men.  We broke the rules and sat with the men (this was ok’d by our guide).  Went back to our hotel and my mom and I tried to get out for a walk, but got scared by a guy who was yelling at his donkey (we thought he was hollering at us).  Dinner that night was at a riad, a home (now restaurant/hotel), with a garden in the courtyard.  The interesting thing about Morocco is the appreciation for inner beauty.  Much like how women are expected to cover themselves in order to save their beauty for only their husbands to see, homes are also only decorated on the inside.  All the homes/apartments in the country look much like an adobe dwelling with no exterior decoration. But, when you get inside the ornate details of the home is unforgettable. This particular riad had been restored and was extremely impressive with intricate interior decorations…especially on the ceilings.  Dinner was in a cedar gazebo and the food was to die for (but too much for us to consume!!).  The meal started with at least 12 different salad dishes all of which could barely fit on our table, followed by a lamb/almond tagine.  Dessert was a phyllo dough with cream and cinnamon then cookies with mint tea. Overwhelming is the only word that can describe this meal and experience.

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Day 3: March 20, 2007

Drove from Fez to Ifrane, a mountain vacationland plus university town, then through other villages.  Drove over the Mid Atlas Mountains and ended in Erfoud at an Oasis-esque hotel.  I succeeded in flooding the bathroom when taking a shower, but then realized that this happens to everyone as seen by the pools of water leaking out of the front door of each hotel room.

Day 4: March 21, 2007

Had what I deemed fry bread for breakfast then loaded a day bag for our trip to the desert.  Stopped at a ksar, a palace all on one level.  The ksar was pre-restoration, but essentially it looked like an old home/former prosperous palace made of mud walls (they did have a tv of course). Then went to a restored Ksar which is now a museum.  Some men from the Moroccan radio were there and asked us some questions about our impressions of traveling in Morocco. Hopefully people don’t know enough English to be able to really understand what I said!  I was terrible and couldn’t think on the spot.  We then went to a hotel and had what we called Moroccan stuffed pizza…essentially a big sandwich in the shape of a pizza stuffed with spiced beef (really good!).  During our lunch I all of a sudden had horrendous lower back pain and could stand up straight.  Not sure what did it, but it hurt.

After lunch we boarded Toyota land cruisers with a Berber “Blue Man” driver and headed to the Sahara desert. We arrived to the red sand land and our luxury tents for the night. The tents had pole structures to them and were covered with camel skins and burlap sacks. Inside my mom and I had our own four post bed and the walls were covered with a yellow sequined fabric.  It was quite the camping experience!

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Shortly after we arrived, we climbed on to camels and walked through the dunes to watch the sunset.  My back was still hurting, but I wasn’t going to let this bother me, although it was hard to stay on the camel while tensing my back and trying to take picture after picture after picture.  There are not many times when I can say I watched the sunset with my mom on top of a red sand dune in the Sahara dessert.  It was quite the serene/surreal scene.

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After the sun was gone (which went very quickly) we went to the main tent for dinner. Our server was an older man who knew a bit of English and talked to us in singsong all night…he was really something.  We had quite the meal for a place that is in the middle of the dessert without any running water..barley soup, beef and vegetable tagine, chicken/caramelized onion/raisin couscous and fresh fruit for desert.  After our meal the camel guides, cooks, and our server started drumming the night away and invited us to dance (which we did, but I couldn’t keep up with the old guy who could shake his shoulders faster than anyone I know).

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That night my mom and I both had rumbling stomachs and feared the ramifications of having diarrhea while in the dessert.  Luckily there were semi-working bathrooms, but in the middle of the night there was a really strong windstorm and the thought of having to forge through a wind and blowing sand in the black of night to find the bathrooms which were not right next door, would have been catastrophic.  Instead we both stayed in bed and tried to sleep.   I also feared the tent crashing down on us when the big wind gushes came around.  I reassured myself that we had our four poster beds to protect us and I formulated my survival plan if such a situation should arise.  By 5:45am the next day we woke to still standing tents and no signs of irritable bowels.  Thank goodness.

Day 5:  March 22, 2007

Woke near sunrise to ride the camels once again and watch the sunrise.  It was very very cold and we were all a little grumpy from not sleeping the night before, but we did it and the sight was great.  My hands were too cold to be able to take photos.  The old blue man greeted us again in singsong and warmed us up with coffee and fry bread before we headed out.  We four-wheeled back to the Oasis hotel before heading to Ouarzarzate (Morocco’s Hollywood).  Along the 7 hour drive we stopped for coffee and cookies twice and had lunch of some of the best meatballs and turnip soup I have ever tasted.  My mom and I have both tried to recreate the meatballs, but have not come close.  Once we arrived in Ouarzarzate we cleaned ourselves and headed to dinner with the most amazing dessert selection ever.  We had some great conversation and a restful nights sleep without a wind/sand storm to wake up to.

Day 6: March 23, 2007

Slept in and had buffet breakfast.  Looked at a few shops across the street and did a few laps around the hotel to try and burn off some of the desserts from the night before.  Went to a kasbah (a fortified community),  in a short distance from Ouarzarzate.  At the kasbah we stopped at a female painter’s shop and played with her 9 month old son.  Little boys helped us cross a river but then insisted that we pay them for their services (a common thing in Morocco…everyone expects a tip for the littlest things, even taking pictures). 

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Had lunch with a VIP seat and a picturesque view.  The meal started again with salad, followed by an omlete tagine, then beef tagine with potatoes and carrots.  Dessert was the traditional orange slices topped with cinnamon (try this!  it is simple, but such a great end to a meal).  Bought a scarf at a man’s shop then headed to another kasbah and viewed the interior of the building…the view from a room where one of a number of concubines once lived

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Stopped again for coffee and cookies.  Returned to the hotel for another buffet dinner (we ate a lot on this trip).

Day 7: March 24, 2007

More fry bread for breakfast (now a staple for me, how deadly!).  Drove through the windy roads of the High Atlas mountains and I slept through it all…thanks to Dramamine.  Stopped for tea at the top of the pass and Saida ordered a tea with absinthe in it (supposedly to ease uneasy stomachs).  Ate lots of cookies.

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Continued to drive and arrived in Marrakech.  Walked around the hotel and watched the European sunbathers from my balcony. 

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Went to the medina to see the hundreds of thousands of tourists and stalls with shoes/produce/sweets/souvenirs, then to the square to view the snake charmers, storytellers, snail cookers, and eateries.  Had an apple soda (wouldn’t recommend it) at the top of a cafe terrace.  The scene in the square in Marrakech was pretty incredible.

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Saida led us through the media down some random alleyways to another riad that no one would know existed unless they had the inside scoop.  Dinner was amazing: soup, salads, lamb with figs, and cream pastry dessert.  We met the owner of the riad/hotel who was a true gentleman and intellectual all rolled into one.  He notified us that not everyone from “the outside” is invited in his riad so we were very special/lucky people.  Marrakech is a very sophisticated and cosmopolitan land…very shi-shi and touristy, but also very young and alive.   

Day 8, March 15, 2007

Went to a painter’s garden/studio then a Berber museum then a palace with amazingly restored walls and ceilings.  After the palace we were suckered into buying Moroccan 45 spice.  It is certainly Moroccan, but I am not too sure when and how to use it. 

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Next was a chicken and french fry lunch after going to the antique shop of the riad owner from the night before.  Turns out the owner of the riad is a major celebrity in Morocco and has pictures of him with Brad Pitt (wearing a jilaba, so silly), Will Smith, Pres Ford, and Pres Reagan.  Made me feel special but at the same time a bit simple and like I am just an ant in this big wide world or something.  After lunch we went shopping at a Moroccan Claire’s where they have scarves lining the walls and sell odd accessories.  I bought a modern looking coverup/jilaba.  We walked through the new town and then had our final tea/coffee/cookie episode in the shi-shi streets of Marrakech.  Our last dinner was also the most elaborate.  We rode a horse drawn carriage to a dar hidden amongst dark and scary alleyways.  Inside we were awestruck by the beauty once again. 

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We had the typical fantastic salads (eggplant, lentils, tomatoes, sweet cucumbers, spring roll-ish things, carrots, olives, leeks), then a beef tagine, couscous, and my favorite pastilla!  Dessert was phyllo dough and cream and mint tea, of course.  Belly dancers and traditional music filled the air and the sense that the trip was nearly over came crashing down on us. I honestly did leave the dar feeling overwhelmed by both the food and the trip as a whole.  I would certainly recommend that people travel to Morocco (Vietnam first, then Morocco).  Oh, what a place.

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extreme differences

Last week on this day my mom and I woke up at 5:45am to ride camels at sunrise in the Sahara Desert. The terra cotta colored sand was so pure and soft and the sky was a vibrant red/orange. Today I woke up to a blanket of white in Colorado. White white and more white. What extreme differences!

and I’m spent

Just got back from the Moroccan adventure and I am pleased to report that it was AMAZING! My dubious expectations were totally blown out of the water. My mom and I have been up for the past 24 hours (at least that is what we think…we are both a little confused right now) so I am spent, but am trying to stay up a little longer so I can get on a regular sleeping pattern. I will post the pictures in a couple days once I clean my pants of camel.

moroccan adventure

Not going to lie…I am a wee bit nervous about going to Morocco.  Part of the nervousness is extreme excitement, part of the nervousness is simply out of worry.  There was a suicide bomber who blew himself up and injured three at an internet cafe in Casablanca on Monday.  The trip is still on and the travel agent has talked to our guide everyday since then and they say all is going to be just fine.  But since Monday I have been a good bundle of nerves.  My only hope is that once we get to Morocco and begin the trip I will relax.  In the past whenever I get nervous about something that something always turns out better than I expect.  I hope this is the case in Morocco!! Perhaps I need some good drugged mint tea to calm me down.

We are off at 5:45 am tomorrow to Atlanta, Georgia then after a four hour layover, to Paris.  We get in to Paris at 5:00am and we plan to head straight to the hotel to try and get caught up on sleep.  Hopefully the Parisians will be kind to us gals for a couple of days.  Then our adventure begins. I hope to see my mom belly dance with her henna tattooed hands. We’ll return on the 28th.  Expect some photos!

180 degree change

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kid card table home

I hope this past weekend isn’t a sign of what is to come over the next 29892875 months while I look for a new job.  As of 1:00am on Saturday morning, I have not yet left the apartment (current time is 11:13pm on Sunday evening).  The weather this weekend was absolutely beautiful (as seen from the window)…too bad I didn’t go outside to play.  I suppose the rationale for why I stayed indoors all weekend is partially valid: Saturday I had to recover from the all you can drink wine from Fondue Fred’s, not to mention broomball which took a major toll on my little body…and today I had to work on an art project which I have to complete before I go home on Tuesday.  I only had today and have part of tomorrow to put the finishing touches on the card table playhouse and I worked all the livelong day to try and get it done.  Now I feel like a hunchback woman with major back pain from crouching over my project for 12 hours.

I am not so sure I am prepared to leave for Morocco this week…I have too much to do!

moon for breakfast

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Cupcake cars, How Berkeley can you be parade, 2005

Sometimes I wish I could just jump in my cupcake car and roll down the street to pick up a pickle or something.  The tough question is…would you get into the chocolate or vanilla car?

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This morning I woke up at 7:30am to a beautiful sunny day…I rubbed my eyes awake… looked out the window…and saw the moon!  I know the moon is almost always around during the day, but I have never woken up to it.  This was a bigger treat than I ever would have imagined. Actually, I never imagined seeing the moon first thing in the morning. Maybe instead of a Goonight Moon book, I’ll write a Good Morning Moon book.


shin splints

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hanging avocado bathing in the sun

I love that avocados are semi-also known as butter pears or butter fruits. Anything that is synonyomous with butter is grade A meat in my book.  According to Wikipedia, an avocado is botanically a berry.  I had no idea.

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I have shin splints today.  Yesterday I walked to work way too fast and today I am paying the consequences.  Or maybe today I aggravated my shins when I secretly raced a guy next to me without him knowing.  He was really good at 1.)speed walking through the streets just like I do 2.) holding a conversation with himself and 3.) scratching the back of his head in a very rapid manner every few minutes.  He did a great job at setting a fast pace and I followed until I caught up with him and took off.  I imagine that I look ridiculous speed walking through the streets…especially when I wear my unintentional bumble bee outfit like I did today (black pants, yellow t-shirt, black jacket if needed, black and yellow backpack).  My fingers are crossed that I don’t become known as that “bumble bee girl.”

I do love that in the bay area there are various characters known throughout the land.  There is “Pink Man” (the guy wearing a pink unitard and cape and rides a unicycle) or the 80 year old twins (who are always amazingly dressed and way too identical), and of course the “Bushman” (who succeeded in getting me to scream bloody murder when I was visiting SF in middle school).  Oh, San Francisco. What would our world be without you?


I smelled like ketchup today

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really old sewing machine that comes in a really old box. I love how “old skool looking” both things are.

I have been working diligently (with several week long breaks) on a sewing project that is three quarters complete.  The above sewing machine has helped me get through the project. Although it is old and kind of smells musty, I love this treasure.  Cooper and I bought two sewing machines out of a guy’s garage for $20 (hoping that one of the two would work).  It is such a simple and reliable little thing…I really can’t imagine trying to use a newer more complicated device…especially one that smells new.  Who would want that?

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Speaking of smells…

I smelled like ketchup today.  While walking around the neighborhood this morning, Cooper unintentionally managed to step perfectly on a packet of ketchup so all of the contents would land precisely on my pants and shoe.  I looked bloody but tasted sweet and salty. It was by far the grandest moment of the day.

I miss the way my grandma used to pronounce “cat sup.” Oh, cat sup.

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It appears as though my fish shaved his mustache.  He is no longer swimming around with the above stache. Amazing what fish can do without arms, hands, or fingers.

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