photo of the day

crazy clouds. royal oak, mi. summer 2007.

photo of the day

a door. st. bonaventure. detroit. 2007

home sweet home

we got back from new york yesterday afternoon. the weekend flew by but i was happy to come

home to familiarity. new york city is great and fun, but i don't know how people live there. 

i'll let you in on some of the details of our trip. (our group consisted of me, my sister michelle (fellow blogger), my cousin renee (first blogger of the family), cousin farah (the commenter) and our friend nickole.)

we got in on friday evening. nickole started out the trip by getting yelled at by some disgruntled airport worker. what a jerk. we split up and got into our respective cabs to get to our hotel, the paramount, near times square. our cabbie was awesome. he was from senegal and spoke english, arabic, german and french. he studied finance in paris and goes back to france every year. michelle and i spoke to him a little in arabic and he was impressed. we spoke of the never ending war and he seemed genuinely distraught over all the violence everywhere in the world. when we got to the hotel, he helped us w/ the bags and i gave him a hug and said, "have a good life!" 

when we got to our room, we had to laugh. it was TINY. seriously. our bags took up half the room and we took up the other half. we joked that we should ask the front desk if they had any rope so we could fashion swinging tarzan thingamajigs to get around. oh and it was SO DARK in the room. it was supposed to set a mood, but the only mood going around was one of depression. it was making us tired and pissed off. farah decided to cheer us all up by making shadow puppets on the frighteningly stark white walls. 

haha...anyway, so we got ourselves together and walked to a restaurant nearby called bella vita where we enjoyed DELICIOUS calamari and paninis. then we paid for our delicious meal and realized this trip was not going to be cheap.

that night we met up my friend omar in soho at a bar called naked lunch. it was packed and we were being pushed from side to side, but it was fun anyway. michelle and nickole had fun, that's for sure. ; ) so we didn't leave the bar until it closed, at 4 a.m.! which is nice once in a while..bars here close at 2, but usually i'm ready to leave well before that. 

saturday was shopping day. first we rode the subway (and got lost quite a few times) to the world trade center site. on the way there, i met jim, a weathered looking man probably in his sixties. he was sitting next to me on the subway and was on his way to work at ground zero. he's one of the guys that mans the huge digging machines. he told me that he was there on september 11th, working nearby. he saw the second plane crash through the building. he said he stayed there for two days helping the firefighters and police officers but he had to go home after that because it was too much. he said there was dust everywhere and no signs of any life before the tragedy. he took us to the site and then he was on his way to work. thanks, jim. :)

it was sad to see pictures again from that day. there was a little temporary memorial w/ names and pictures. michelle started crying and then laughed a little and said, "i don't know why i'm crying"..well, i do. this is what ground zero looks like:

sigh.

afterwards, we went shopping at century 21 (awesome deals, annoying place to shop) and then in soho. there were so many cool shops and lots of unaffordable merchandise. my friend julia met us up for twenty minutes. she works in soho and was on her break. it was nice to see her! we went into some asian/indian shop that sold things like pretty chopsticks, beaded jewelry and woven treasures from foreign lands. they also sold this hilarious poster (that wasn't supposed to be hilarious) that illustrated all the dangers of drinking too much alcohol. this was one of my favorite dangers:

we continued on our shopping journey. oh did i mention it was freakin' cold? if you were dressed well, you were a little less cold, but you were still cold! i think the entire time i was there, i was dreaming of sweating under the hot sun in a bikini in vegas. i need to make that happen soon. okay sorry, got sidetracked there. here's a picture from a shop called mystique boutique. i was half expecting this mannequin to blink her eyes and snatch my camera from my hands. 

after shopping, we went to eat at a place called joshua tree on restaurant row. we were starving and upon walking into the restaurant, i caught sight of someone's lobster dish being served. it looked SO good, so i ordered it. when it was in front of me, i didn't know what to do. i didn't realize it was an entire lobster, legs, eyes and all. i felt really really bad and i secretly wanted to cry. michelle ended up preparing it for me like i was five years old, but i was appreciative. i ate a little lobster, but i ended up eating my baked potato and corn and pretending i didn't have room for the rest of the lobster. seriously, i'm sorry to the poor crustacean that ended up on my plate. :( 

that night we ended up staying in cuz nickole felt sick and the rest of us were exhausted, except for michelle. she was pissed. she ended up "working out." hahaa ;)

oh, i didn't mention that we switched rooms twice while on this three night stay. the first time was because it was seriously too small, so we moved to a suite. the second time was thanks to michelle. i will not go into detail. haha! also, there was a mirror on every floor in front of the elevator that told you the weather outside. this is what it said the ENTIRE time we were there:

the elevators themselves were pretty cool. each one was lit a different color. it's amazing what a little lighting can do:

sunday was especially cold but the sun came out for a little and warmed the tips of our noses. we split up for a little. nickole and farah wanted to see the statue of liberty and st. patrick's cathedral. renee, michelle and i went to greenwich village on a quest to find the ink pad. on our way, we stopped at a couple places. 

finding the ink pad was a bitch. hey new york, ever heard of a grid plan?? when we finally did find it, it was the size of my walk in closet. the place was jam packed with stamps and other scrapbooking materials, hence, renee was in heaven. i let her do her thing and walked around and surprisingly did not get lost. 

later we met up with farah and nickole at the metropolitan museum of art. (we got lost on the way and ended up taking a cab.) i LOOOVE the feeling i get from being at a museum. it's like i'm a crack fiend, only i'm addicted to ridiculously old and expensive things. i spent most of my time in the modern galleries.

here are some of my favorites pieces:

rene magritte "this is the color of my dreams"

salvador dali "madonna"

francis bacon "self portait"

balthus "therese dreaming"

mark rothko (unsure of title)

*seeing a rothko in a picture versus the real thing is very different.

when i have seen his work in person, i have always loved and appreciated it even though it may look like a block of paint on canvas. his paintings evoke so much feeling that i'm starting to sound like a hippie. but, take my word for it. :)

that evening, we decided to have dinner in little italy. we took the subway and got off on canal street which is in chinatown. oh man...everyone was selling everything! as i ducked into one of the booths to look at something closer, the woman working there started to whisper to renee and me. she said, "i have purses, look" and she opened a door that magically appeared behind her. we looked and saw a slummy looking steep stairway. renee said, "i'm NOT going up there!" i knew she wanted a purse so i said, "let's go, it'll be an adventure." as we climbed halfway up the stairs, another door opened and we were escorted by a pregnant chinese woman to a room that looked like it had vomited leather. there were purses EVERYWHERE. i felt like a criminal being there even though i wasn't there to buy anything. it was so strange, though. this empty stairwell all of a sudden was full of life and doors kept opening and all we could see were purses. purses purses everywhere! all i kept thinking was how disappointed dolce and gabbana would be. 

we eventually made it to our destination which was angelo's. it turned out to be this cute italian restaurant that's been there since 1902. all the cooks and waitstaff were speaking in italian. it was very authentic and we were very happy with the food! but, it was at dinner where i started to feel ill. i tried to wish it away but it wouldn't work. i just wanted to eat all my food, but couldn't! we made it back to the hotel with only a half hour to get ready for that night. i contemplated not going, but i wanted to see the comedy show we had tickets for at the laugh factory. i'm glad i ended up going because the comedians were so funny and definitely worth seeing. as we were leaving, two of the funnier comedians started talking to us and found out we were trying to find a bar to go to. they walked us to 8th avenue in hell's kitchen to a place called kevin st. james. we left them and went inside where we were the focus of the bar since we were the only girls. of course, renee and farah left and went back to the hotel. we ended up hanging out with a few guys who turned out to be stage hands for nbc. one of them said that he could arrange for me to sit behind conan's desk and i answered that i want to sit on conan's lap. :) jk. sorta. 

anyway, nickole fell in love with bartender mark (super cute and super nice) and michelle fell in love with stage hand brian. i fell in love with the idea of going back to the hotel and sleeping, but we were meeting up with omar again. we hung out w/ omar for a little but then i really really wasn't feeling well and so i was dropped off at the hotel. michelle and nickole continued partying like it was 1999. back at the hotel, i wore my pajamas, a sweater, my knit pippi longstocking hat and uggs and was still shivering under the covers. i tried to sleep but could not because of a monster truck outside of my window. seriously, it had to be a monster truck smashing cars and people cuz that's what it sounded like. i prayed to god saying, "please, please don't let me be sick for the plane ride, please. let me get better and then if you want to, you can make me sick again after." so, god listened. i was fine for the plane ride home and now i'm feeling sick again. my prayers were answered.

here are some more pictures from the trip: 

me on the subway

michelle fulfilling her life's dream of bartending

nickole and renee on the subway

waiting for our train

here it comes..

...fast!

@ the met

asking the snooty lady at the met for directions

trying to find our way to angelo's

canal street

this is what chinatown smells like

mmm..cherries!

photos of the day

hello all. i'm leaving for new york this afternoon with half of my readers. :) i'm so looking foward to being there and feeding on some of the city's crazy energy. 

here are some pictures from past vacations to fulfill the next few days worth of photos of the day. 

near anchorage, alaska. june. 2004.

farmers market in los angeles. a hot sauce shop. they had some crazy shit. i am clearly not interested. 2007

cleveland. the view from an old building turned recording studio. 2005.

at stogie's cigar and jazz bar (one of my favorite places to be in the world thus far.) st. augustine, florida. 2006.

photo of the day

strangest window display ever. on melrose. los angeles. 2007.

photo of the day

serendipitous photo. st. augustine, florida. march 2006. 

modern rococo

this was just sent my way. how cool is this room? i love the collaboration of different styles. 

imprint on your soul

i just looked through almost all my pictures on my hard drive and i am left feeling heartbreakingly nostalgic. there's something about memories that make something more romantic than it really was at the time. or maybe those memories are more valuable because time is fleeting and you can never have them back. 

i always try to realize that i need to be appreciative of being in the moment..but it's impossible! no matter how much you know you should cherish something, you always cherish it so much more when it has changed or it is no longer there. 

for renee

i just came across this in my files. i love this photo and i wish we could go back to that day for a moment at least.

photo of the day

eastern market. detroit. summer 2007.

karma is a bitch

i FINALLY saw tarantino's "death proof" which i had been putting off for quite some time for no apparent reason. my entire body was tense and i was shrinking into my junk food hoodie (you know, renee, the one that makes you hungry?)...it was so stressful to watch but so flippin' good!!! even though he's irritating like nails on a chalkboard, (or in my case dry hands rubbing together--eccchhh!) he knows how to make a brilliant movie. jackie brown and kill bill I and II are probably among my top twenty movies of all time. (although i'm too chicken shit to make such a list...that's too much of a commitment!) i won't spoil anything, but this movie had the best car crash and chase scenes i've ever seen. and with any tarantino film, you can count on a fantastic soundtrack full of resurrected songs from the past. 

i've been in need of catching up on my movie watching. i've been slacking..not good! tomorrow i'm planning on seeing "no country for old men" even though i told myself i didn't want to see it when i saw the trailer. in my old age, i'm realizing that stressful/suspenseful movies make my stomach hurt. i'll bring some tums along. 

i'd like to also say that i thoroughly enjoy going out w/ friends on weekends. there's something about having a drink in one hand and a cigarette in the other that makes me think "i'm wasting my fucking life." but hey, it's a fun waste of time! 

p.s. that's an ice cube in my mouth in case you're wondering.

i love lucy's feet paws. they smell like fritos.

i received this first trade paperback comic in the series "the 

walking dead" for christmas and i couldn't put it down the other night. but...it flippin' scared me. i kept imagining a black and white outlined zombie ascending our staircase with every intention of disemboweling me and having me as a midnight snack. i picked up a cookbook and started reading recipes to get my mind off the disturbing images i had just poured over. 

that night i dreamt of zombies AND vampires chasing me. 

oh, so the comic is (obviously) about zombies taking over and a camp of survivors trying to find a way to live. it's gory and fantastic so far and i can't wait to get the second book in the series.

alex and i pretended we were twelve year-olds and traded comics the other day. i gave him the walking dead and he gave me "y the last man: unmanned." it's has a great storyline: one day, something made all the men in the world bleed to death. the world lost 48% of the population and is now run by women...but, there is one man and his male monkey left. he goes on a journey to understand what happened and why he's the only male left alive. the art is crisp and well drawn and inked. it reminds me of the "preacher" comic book series which was OUTSTANDING. 

time for bed. tomorrow is the auto show preview which means i will be very busy at work making people perty. 

peace!

and the lucky groom is....

....george clooney!??! hahaha...it's funny cuz i don't really even care for him and i never think about him. i'm sorry dina, i know he's your love...but according to arabic tall tales, i will marry him. 

in my dream, i lived w/ him in his beautiful, modern house. a lot of women were jealous of me and actually hated my guts for the reason that mr. clooney chose me over them. anyway, he got me a bottle of water from the fridge at some point in my dream. hahahahhaa..

that was dumb.

dear god...

renee's confession layouts have inspired me to make some confessions of my own. i don't scrapbook, so i will just tell you in words. here we go!

• when i'm sitting in church, i imagine myself running wildly up and down the aisles while ripping off my clothes and how that would forever alter peoples perception of me.
• i still love comic books, hello kitty and toys (of the japanese variety mostly.)
• i really love zombie movies and have a slight fear of that actually happening.
• i worry i'm beginning to look old.
• my favorite part of going to the bar on saturday nights is eating at 2 a.m.
• i judge books by their covers.
• when i drive past my old grade school, i so badly want to to turn back time.
• i feel sorry for spiders.
• i wish i had tons of money so i could save the polar bears, feed the children, and build hummingbird sanctuaries!
• i wish i was a singer in a band. or a dj. sometimes both.
• i really do enjoy the crash test dummies, enya, yanni and sarah brightman! 
• i love to paint but i don't do it enough and i ALWAYS feel guilty about it.
• i like animals more than people.

so yeah...there you go. do YOU have any confessions?

a reluctant prophet

i'm sure most of you have heard the story of jonah and the whale. well, here's a cliff noted version: god wanted jonah to go to ninevah and spread the word of god, but he didn't want to, so he went on a little trip that involved a boat. storms ensued. jonah knew the storms were a punishment therefore had to be thrown overboard and a fish swallowed him whole, saving him from an imminent death. jonah was in the whale's belly for three days and in those three days he prayed and asked god for forgiveness. 

why am i telling you this story you ask? well, some arabic folk fast for these three days. it started on monday, continued on tuesday and ends on wednesday. there's an old wives tale that says if a single woman fasts from meat on these three days and on the night of third day eats a nasty dry powder made from tahini (and is not allowed to drink water afterwards), she will dream of a man giving her a glass of water. that man is the man she is going to marry. 

.....silence.

hahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahaaaaaaa...!!!

so yeah, that's pretty funny. what's even funnier is that both michelle and i are doing it. we both think it's silly, but are both curious to see what will happen. my mom pleaded with me to do it because i have the craziest vivid dreams almost every night. so according to my dreams, i guarantee i will marry either a three headed zombie or a centaur. 

and what is this arabic obsession with marriage? i've had many conversations on this subject with friends and relatives and it really bothers me that getting engaged or married is the best thing you can accomplish according to the arabic society. listen up people: ANYBODY CAN GET MARRIED. 

don't get me wrong, i'm not against marriage and i would love to get married and start a family one day. but i think people should consider how serious it is and really ask themselves and each other important questions regarding their relationship, financial status, children, etc. 

anywyayyyy...

here's an adorable picture i took of lucy yesterday. she's sitting in a box in my room:

and here is din din the other night fixing her hair:

pie in the sky

my trip to new york city is quickly approaching! i am looking forward to roaming the streets of new york in search of inspiration. that will not be hard to find...it's everywhere!!! the above photo is of a painting by ralph goings. yes, i said painting. it's not a photograph. i saw a gallery showing of his work from the 70's at a gallery in soho when i was in nyc a few years back. his photorealist paintings mainly consist of diners and old trucks. it was amazing to stand back and think you're looking at a photograph and then move forward until you're standing two inches away from the canvas to see the quick brush strokes that make up a hyperreal painting! 

that pie is making me hungry. 

speaking of hungry, guess what renee gave me for my birthday? the professional chef book i wanted and blogged about!!! it is now part of my collection! thanks again, renee. i love it. :) 

twenteee eigghhht yeeeeers odd.

hey comrades. i just got back from nomi and then macdonalds. we celebarated for the sixtieth time my turning 28 and my stomach is very happy because it made friends w/ a plain cheeseburger and its posse, french fries. 

we had a good time watching people film a workout video whilst wearing leather pants. it was good times. 

time for a shower. 

g'hite.

looove. your old bitch, mar mar. 

thanks, girlies :)

thank you, my darlings, for making my birthday special. pizza, POP (not soda), cupcakes, rummikub AND project runway? what more could i ask for besides leonardo dicaprio walking in and giving me a wet birthday kiss? but really, thanks ladies. i had a great time just being my strange self around you. i made my requested cupcakes as shown above. all that remains are lonely sprinkle balls rolling around the floor in search of their candy colored counterparts. 

here's the infamous blog commenter, foof, playing rummikub

and this is her blog commenting nemesis, dina

anita (the number crunching socialite) and reta (keri russel's stalker)

me backing that ass up whilst reta tries to make me drink pop

oh. on a sucky note...be careful while driving on orchard lake, especially near 14 mile and maple. it is ridiculously potholed and dangerous. i knew something was going to happen to my car. i went over a really bad pothole and pulled over because it sounded like someone hit my car with a baseball bat while on steroids. sure enough, my hubcap was cracked and there was a lump in my tire! i drove to discount tire where they informed me that i had a bubble in my tire (caused by the impact with the godzilla pothole) and needed to get it replaced. thankfully it was covered by my warranty and i only had to pay 13 bucks to cover the warranty on the new tire. then the cute pubescent boy (okay maybe not that young, but he had braces) proceeded to compliment me on my earrings in a shaky voice. it was precious. if he only knew i celebrated my 28th birthday today and when i was his age he was pretending he was a mighty morphin power ranger and wetting the bed.