I Love

A quote I just read...I love it and I am thankful to be living in the United States of America...

"In a democracy, two wolves and a sheep are in the room, and everybody votes on what's for dinner. In America, the sheep has a gun."

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KebobFest

Just wanted to drop a word that I know write for the blog www.kabobfest.com, a young blog that has a groupd of blogger, mainly activists in the Arab American community and beyond, but they are cool folks who enjoy a good laugh. look for articles by Hanitizer, I have few so far and I actually enjoy reading the posts by the various blogger. I know the world is full of cool blogs and neat websites, but the truth remains, the internet is the best way to waste time efficiently.

My goal is to stick to Arabic entertainment or stick it to Arabic entertainment. I will also try to satirize stories and news coming from the Middle East because I think if I took these serious things seriously, then I will not be able to function on daily basis.

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Chocolate Suckers

I went to See's Candy Store last week to purchase some of their fine truffles. I happen to like chocolate and also enjoy the products made by See's Candy. The problem however, that they do not have stores that open, only seasonal shacks. In other words, you only can buy their candies during Christmas time (mid November till early January) or go online and buy their products online (paying 10 bucks for a 20 bucks item does not agree with me). I do enjoy the free samples they hand out to customers and mall goers. So I headed to the Pentagon mall on a fine Sunday and purchased those fine truffles. I guess you would say that I am an addict to chocolate. By the way did you know that there is actually a chocolate rehab? if you do not believe me, Google it and see for yourself.

Anyhow, once I purchased the candies, the gentleman at the desk is gay and out of all free samples, he chose to offer me a sucker! and boy was I hooked to those see's suckers? he actually was kind enough to give me not one sucker, but three of them! So thanks to a gay man at a chocolate stand I was introduced to the pleasure of those suckers! and yes I will be going back to buy some! Try them for yourself...

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The Gym Debacle!

It has been awhile since I stepped into a commercial gym, I would say about more than four years so when I accompanied my friend to the gym near her work...I must say I felt out of place. While I do exercise regularly (it's easy when you have a gym at your apartment complex and another at work) but nothing is quite as intense and disturbing as a gym full of young folks and others who are really, really obese.

I was so uncomfortable that I vowed not to return to this gym again which probably cam e as good news to my friend. I thought of the people at the gym are nothing but a cross section of those few people who do not know how to shut up and the awkward folks at the dance floor. It did not help that, the rule was to keep clothes to minimal, not its entire absence.

To make things worse the gym people made a photo copy of my ID, I guess they are hoping to give me a call to recruit me to join their gym. But I actually was aware that this will happen, so I gave them my old Utah address to tell them "I am not form here"

Please do not get me wrong, I like to work out and stay fit as much as I can, but I guess I might not be to comfortable with the social aspect of the gym. Now, I understand the need for exclusive gyms like "Curves"! May be we have a niche to sell a gym as the anti-gym. "Exercise in a cubicle!"

By the way, the gym was "First Fitness" on 19th and L Street.

PS. The picture is for a nudist gym in the Netherlands (duh, where else?)

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Your Mom Is HOT

I do not know what I was thinking the other day, but it hit me that women do not have an issue with saying that their dad is good looking, or in shape, or even hot. From my experience, women in general do not mind using such terms to refer to their father. I know one of my female friends back at college used to brag to others about her dad George Colony looks. Another female friend never misses a chance to talk about her dad's masculine features. I do not think she is alone in that sense, I guess women are comfortable that what they say is going to be taken for face value.

However, men are not like that. Few of us would refer to their mom as good looking, or hot...we fear what that might translate to. We also do not want to hear our friends ever see that our mothers are good looking. I do not think it's a paranoia, but rather an issue of reading beyond what people say.

I do not believe it is an Arab thing, I think it is cross cultural that the majority of men share, if you think my mother is hot, please keep it to yourself, unless you are not to pleased with the way your nose fits on your face.

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One Anthem to Rule Them All

Since the current Palestinian National anthem is boring and sounds just like every other Arab country, I have came across a great song that I think will serve as a song for the Palestinian people. I make a motion to switch to this song, look for it @ minute 1:42

Twisted Sister - New Music - More Music Videos

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Protest and Deliver

As a person who hates protesting and protesters, I have always wondered, why is it that you rarely see people protesting early morning? Most of those with causes protect mid day or later in the day...I am hoping that because they have other things that preoccupies them and keep them busy. But I think I am wrong. Had the protesters been able to put out a march in the early hours of the day say 8 AM.....things would not have gotten as bad that will necessitate us to protest in the first place. Most people who protest are helpless, miserable, procrastinators who are passive and more reactive than proactive. If you cared about a cause as much, would you show up to an 8 AM rally? Maybe not because you would have a job then or something you cared about more than...just showing up. I must admit when it comes to protesting I am a cynic of its effectiveness. I like the quite leadership, the one that brings people together without the fear and intimidation of protesters and screaming angry mob. Also as Palestinians we need to evolve and learn from others. Instead of protesting person A and yelling at them...go and support person B and make sure that they are on your side. If neither A or B is on your side...then you might want to use a whole different alphabet if necessary.

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Parties....Parties

I like parties...if you have any parties planned, invite me and I will show up. About a week ago, I was at a surprise party for a birthday boy. I really enjoyed myself and learned how much I love surprise parties. I also a big fan of wedding parties, where I like the atmosphere. But if you really wanted to kill two birds with one stone, you need to go to an arranged-wedding party. You get both the surprise and the wedding party!

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Two Cents and a Half

Watching this election season and the exchanges between the GOP and the DNC, the campigns, the slogans, the ground operations, I came to realize that one of those is vicious and the other is sneaky. You have to decides which one is which.

Democrats are too cautious, often they are too intimated by power, like now, "we won a majority, what do we do now?" Republicans on the other hand, do not worry too much what others think in a way they too reckless with power. Yes, Republicans get things done, but not always the right things. Democrats on the other hand accomplish much less.

Many of my Arab American friends are already frustrated with the Obama's choice for a Chief of Staff. Emanuel is a veteran of the Israeli Army 1991 (imagine the roar if he was a vetern of any Arab army) whose dad actually was on the British government terrorist list for bombing the King David Hotel in Jerusalem. But I am not too surprised, although I like the idea of Barack Obama as a president, I never had an expectations that he would be more pro Arab.

Honestly, the only expectation I have are very low, the next time the Obama administration decides to bomb an Arab town, they will do it without using cluster bombs... and maybe when they hand out food as part of the USAID program, it will have writing on it in Arabic...and there it goes.

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Trench-izer

I have an observation about trench coats; once I wear mine, I notice that strangers are nicer to me. By nicer I mean they make space for me on the bus, they let me go first, they smile if I look at them. Something about this article of clothing speaks to people on different levels. Maybe they signal that "I'm mysterious...leave me alone" or my be project an image of a business type or lawyer type who always big on self-importance. But again, others might thing that you are scary, a spy of sort. Hey I am not complaining anything just reporting! So bring out your trench coat and let others pamper you!

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America is BACK!

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Drinking Game

I think President Bush has wasted a historic opportunity to demonstrate how dangerous alcohol can be. I mean the guy quit drinking and stayed sober for a long time, and the thing we all learned about his stand on alcohol consumptions. The Muslims who do not drink thought, maybe we are right about not drinking! But then something happened and the Muslims were like "we wish he would go back to his drinking days" maybe he won't bomb us as often. Maybe if Osama and his crew hit the bottle, things would have been different.

I mean we all want our leaders to be sober, but if the one world leader can manage to be both sober and reckless at the time time, we are in trouble. I think the Bush legacy shows us that you do not have to be drunk to do harm to others. Way to give the sober folks a bad name...way to clear the court of alcoholics...and please drink your way to peace!

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