Wow, they're old

I don't even know how to explain this.

These two teenagers were talking music; different groups and whether or not they were cool. One mentioned System of a Down. The other said, "I don't think those guys have been around that long." I kind of snickered, and they noticed. "What, have you heard of them?" the smart one said. "Yes, I have." I said.

At first, they were a little impressed, like, "Whoa, she knows what's playing now!" Then, they posed the other part of their argument. "So, if you've heard of them, are they new or what?"

Sadly, I had to say {like I have many other times}, "Kids, they've been making music since before you were born."

Their response? "Whoa, they're old!"

Uh, thanks kids. I think.

Pods & Tentacles

Those are date tree buds. I'm not sure of the real scientific term. But I saw these pods exploding at the tops of all the date trees in my yard. First, my wild imagination ran away with me and I was a little creeped out. Pod things growing from my trees & growing bigger than thought possible? Yikes.
If you'll look at the photo above, on the left hand side are those fin-like pod things. They were getting fatter & fatter this past week. Yes, I have nothing better to do with my time than stare at palm tree pods. When I was pulling into the driveway last week, I noticed that they had burst open! Those little tiny flowers will soon look like this.


The flowery parts mature, and most fall off, leaving fluttery little piles of petals at the base of the palm trees and the stems with the buds that will become dates! Then our groundskeepers come around and take care of the trees.

No, I don't usually have that vase sitting by the window. When I first pulled out my camera, the other dude (there are two up there) looked straight at me. I guess he could see the crazy white lady with a camera in her kitchen taking pictures of the poor hard-working schmucks in her yard. It took me another 20 minutes just to go back to the window and nonchalantly wash some glasses, pretend to wipe clean the vase and set it in the sun to dry. Then take a picture of it. I'm sure I looked very innocent & covert. But it was very cool, the maintenance they were doing on the trees. See the white parts at the top of the trunk? That's where the took their hook-like machetes and hacked off the dead, pointy parts of the bark. And they also did this.

Apparently you have to tie the tentacles together so that it produces an abundance of dates! I can't wait for my dates to grow in my very own backyard. Oh, and another reason I think the pods broke open, the weather. It has been quietly, but steadily, getting warmer. I don't mind putting a cardi on to go outside, I've loved the "winter" weather. (winter weather = 66F-72F average temp=happy Lydia) Now it is starting out at 66F at 9am and is 82F by afternoon. And the cars are heating up, too. Getting into the car after it's been parked all day and needing the AC so I don't suffocate is not something I expect in February. But hey, at least we've got the malls to go hang out in. Oh wait, those are down by the "unrest". 'Nuff said.

YouTube Tuesday: You

This video in no way reflects anything lying in my subconscious. It's just been in my head the last couple of days. I heard it on an episode of House & just loved it. My favorite part? In the chorus when he sings " . . . 'cause I'm gonna lose yaaaaa . . " and he holds out the word 'you'. *swoon* Just love it!



I also made a play list this last weekend while we were on house arrest, I mean, spending some quality time at home. Every one of these songs I can recommend. I truly love them all. Go have a listen!

Can you guess why I named it 'You'?

I need you now - Lady Antebellum
Lose You - Pete Yorn
I wish it would rain - Phil Collins
Do what you want - Ok Go
Prettiest Girl - Weezer
Slow Dancing in a burning room - John Mayer
Can't help fallin' in love - UB40
Only wanna be with you - Hootie & the Blowfish
Life on the Moon - David Cook
Shine - Collective Soul
Bulletproof - La Roux
All is not lost - Ok Go
If you're wondering, if I want you to - Weezer
I don't trust myself with loving you - John Mayer
Good Riddance - Green Day
I Wanna Be with You - Fun Factory
I'll Follow You - Colors

To-may-toe, to-mah-toe

You use an ice scraper . . .

I use a squeegee.

Welcome to my life.

(and no, it didn't rain last night)

Survivor: Bahrain

I'm no political guru. I think I have a good handle on how things work and I like to be informed. I feel like I'm writing an 8th grade current events assignment. But I've have a few people ask me why Bahrain isn't Egypt. I'll give you my point of view & then I have two really good links by the BBC News.

Why Bahrain isn't Egypt: In my opinion

Bahrain is not perfect. The major problem with Bahrain is that they are ruled by a minority (in numbers) and the majorities are treated like minorities. The ruling sheik's family is Sunni. Most Bahrainis are Shiite. The parliament, ministry and law enforcement are mostly Sunni; and a good percentage of them are imported. Imported meaning they are Pakistani, Indian, and Iranian Sunnis. The Shiite population lives mostly in the poorer parts of town and don't get the "good jobs".

I'm sure there are other contributing factors to the whole mess, but that is a simple & sweet explanation. The ruling Sheik has had their position passed down for over 100 years. The government runs much like the British, which makes sense because they were ruled by Britain until 1971. (Even the plugs are still British, the weird flat, three-pronged kind)

Why Bahrain won't turn into Egypt or Tunisia? I just don't think they've got the manpower or backing. Did you know that over 50% of Bahrain's population is expats? Oil, Embassy, and the Navy Base. Bahrain is home to the 5th Fleet. And did you know that the first oil well in the Gulf was discovered and pumped here in Bahrain? Unfortunately, their wells aren't as productive as those elsewhere. They should get a finder's fee or something. Anyway, Bahrain is a foreign country to most of its residents; India, Southeast Asia, Philippines, Sri Lanka & Madagascar to name a few. I am hard pressed to even run into a Bahraini. You know when I do? At the gas pump, the checkout cashier or some guy running up to offer to "watch" my car while I shop. Sadly, they are at the lowest rung of the job ladder, contributing another factor to the "Why this revolution won't work" dilemma.

With Egypt & Tunisia still not sorted out, I don't think the template for a home-grown revolution is very clear. To punch a little pop-culture into this, it reminds me of the show 'Survivor'. (Yes, seriously. just keep reading) I loved the first season on Survivor. It was the first of the reality T.V. shows; uncharted territory in more ways than one. They figured out the game as they went. Ultimately, the objective was accomplished; someone won the others lost. Words & phrases had new meaning in mainstream vocabulary; 'form an alliance' and 'luxury items'. I generally liked the show. So when Season 2 premiered, I was ready and waiting on my couch for the next reality adventure. I was *so* disappointed. Nobody did anything new in the tactic department. They started talking 'alliances' in the first episode. In my opinion, the thing that drew me to the show was the game itself was the 'uncharted territory' part. On the other hand, that's what made the game easier for subsequent players; a winning strategy. I never watched Survivor again. Now I live it. Hah!

So there are a lot of people that want change. Hooray! They know what is bad & they want to cut it out. Kudos! They get the bad part taken out. Double kudos! But now what? Do they have a solution to the problem? Plenty of people can complain. And we now know that with enough people complaining, the "problem" can be removed. But who will present a new solution? That, my friends, is the question dangling in the tear gas.

BBC News - Bahrain Country Profile

BBC News - Timeline: Bahrain

* I am Lydia and I think my husband needs to come home & take me out for a Valentines Dinner.

The Hype

I thought I'd put this out there to ease friends & family's minds. We are ok!

The Facts:

- The police acted stupidly and attacked the camp-out of protesters early this morning. Many were injured, a few died. The schools are closed & the Embassy is closed.

- Things are very fluid right now. It's an hour-by-hour kind of thing. Since the overreaction of the police early this morning, lock down all over the island has been instituted. I feel safe in my little compound oasis. We've got a yard, huge house & plenty of fresh air! I think they'll all throw their little temper tantrums & this time next week, we'll be drinking fruit slushies by the pool! (The weather is *gorgeous*, btw. 73F, sunny, no wind.)

Since there is such a recent precedent, people tend to overreact. There are very long lines at the gas stations (hah, suckas! I filled up on Monday); the grocery stores are filling up with people and they are emptying the shelves. (same thing, suckas. i done got my groceries. plus some food storage) The traffic is not great because the only major arteries have been blocked off. It's just reaction to a lot of things, not a lot of action.

I have to point out that I find it hilarious, read that *hil-freakin'-arious*, that they are choosing the Pearl Roundabout and calling it the heart of the city. The heart of the shopping malls, maybe. And to call it 'Pearl Square'; the Tahrir of Bahrain? Puh-lease.

A few things the media does NOT report:

- These "protesters" applied for permits and the gov't allowed it. It's been "on the books" for weeks.
- The first "protester" was killed, yes. By a stupid policeman. But the second "protester" wasn't even protesting. He was attending the funeral and a policeman got a little trigger-happy with his birdshot. Someone could have been trampled b/c of a plain, old funeral procession any day. It just happened to be a bad day.
- Manama is not Egypt.

Just a phone pic I took on Monday for all you rubber-neckers that want the gory details. ;) This is about half a mile from our place. They just sat on their thumbs all day. If they need any help, I'll send this guy down there. He's ready for a fight! (i'm just kidding. About the sending him down there. He's always ready for a fight.)

So we're just chillin' at home, enjoying an unexpected 3-day weekend. Love ya'll!

As the Head Turns

So this morning, the kids were all greeting each other & myself with shouts of, "Happy Valentines Day!" and an enthusiasim level on par with Christmas. Don't know why, don't wanna ask. They're all making last minute preparations, Grant is making sure he's got the container of sugar cookies for his class party. Mairyn & Eliza are running around brushing their hair & looking for socks. I gave the final, "Ok kids, bus comes in 5 mintues!" call. We all gathered for a quick rundown of the day before I herded them out the door. Right after this, Eliza slips back to her room, returns & gets into the queue of exiting kids, looking a little like the cat that ate the canary. Her hair is all falling over her face & she's looking the other direction. I turn her toward me and right as the words 'what's going on' are in my throat, I notice them. Something dangling from her earlobes.

**Info update** The girls got their ears pierced about a year and a half ago. The rule in our house is no dangly earrings until 15. (kids + playing = something's gonna happen eventually) Hey, some girls don't get their ears pierced until 16! That's just our rule.

So I brush back the hair by her ears and spy her homemade dangly earrings. Materials used: unidentifiable thin wire (looks like from a bracelet or something; she assured me it was clean & hadn't been on the floor) and a rose shaped silly band.

I'm a mean mommy and told her no dangly earrings & she can wear the silly band like it was intended. And so continues the drama of tweeny angst.

What dream?

So basically my Valentines Day dream has come true. The three ingredients have collided; except just not in the right order. There's Spencer, of course. Then Valentines Day, next week. And Paris, wee Paris. Put together in the right order and you would have a pretty dreamy date!

Let's review:

Spencer. Check!
Valentines Day. On the radar, check!
Paris. Double check.

Hmmm, something about this picture is not right. Oh yeah, it forgot me. Those three other ingredients are coinciding, but they forgot me. Spencer will be gone for an undetermined amount of time; but at least 3 weeks. He'd better bring me back something nice. No wait, scratch that, stupendous.

And while we're checking things out, take a look at this. Robert Duvall totally looks like my grandpa.

YouTube Tuesday: We're headed to Saudi

Okay, okay, I know it's Wednesday. But I've been uber busy. With Cairo going to you-know-where in a palm frond hand basket, it has affected every aspect of my life. Home & work. So we're taking off this weekend to decompress with our friends in Riyadh. Unfortunately, neither of us have an Audi.