(Some of) You Should Know That...

Thankfully some of you already do...

Image: Courtesy of WIRED

So I've been thinking about getting myself one of those uber-portable mini-laptops, netbooks, or notebooks as they are varyingly known in the tech universe. I'm trying to do research on what is a good deal for my needs, etc - hence the reason I chanced upon the beauty above....

But seriously friends, I've said it before - but if my computer and I were the dynamic duo, I'd be the sidekick in tights. Good thing for good (and heck of knowledgeable) friends!

*Sidenote* The new computer is in the "wish for/dream about" phase right now, but if and when plans solidify I may let you know.

Chronicles of Exhaustion

So the Part Where I'm a Light Sleeper.... Yeah. Coffee is pretty much a main food group for me.
A moth or something got in my coffee this afternoon and I drank it, discovered something foreign in my mouth, gave it an exploratory chew, looked at it on my finger, proclaimed – rather dispassionately – eww, wiped it on my napkin and took another sip of my coffee.Well, I swilled it first…
To sum:
It's humid
There are bugs-with-wings everywhere (I don't talk about bugs sans wings this time of year)
I'm the (acutally) proud owner of a loud as, can't even pick a dream-worthy beat fan
At least I make a good cup of coffee?

Dear Heat Wave...

Glad to know that you're doing well.

In all seriousness, friends - it is HOT! And, more importantly, it's heck of humid.... Le sigh. I'm told that this is all very good for my skin - we'll see.
Anyhow, so remember how I told that I've moved? I'm now the proud resident of a lovely little flat about a 2-3 minute walk from where I used to be - but (!!!) I have a balcony! I know, it seems trifling, but I've really just wanted a little outside space for quite a long time - and I finally have it!
This new place of mine also comes with a charming (some could say jankety) little desk fan - my old room had a proper floor fan. But this new (actually super old) fan tries. How do I know? Last night it sounded like a broken metronome - all.night.long.
Did I tell you the part about how I'm a light sleeper?

My fan, my balcony and I? We're alright, though. :)

P.S. Be expecting to hear about my new flatmate, Gitty - she is an amazingly talented artist!
*Why do I always get so lucky!?*

Lovely Summer Memories...

Okay, so I don't remember this one.... But I still love time with my Nana!

Nana & Aimee

...about 6 weeks before my first birthday

Thanks, Mom! That was a nice treat!

While I'm On the Weekend Tip...

Here are some pictures of my adventures from this weekend:

I present to you one of the many highlights from

Nava's birthday party:

Mango & Pineapple monogrammed pie

courtesy of Lauren Rutstein Anvari!

Uri Buri Restaurant in Akka.

This place is amazing!

*As you can see, I thought that our feet would be cut out in this photo - I promise I don't typically stand around with a clutch foot warmer...*

Dinner at Duzan

Aimee, Yasmin, Saloomeh, Delaram

*I borrowed the glasses - sometimes I need to feel that I look smart, too*

Luncheon party at Abi's. Nava caught me chewing - my love of cookies coupled with the fact that I eat extreeeeemly slowly sort of made this shot inevitable....

Yes. I know - I'm still eating - and Nava is (ahem) still making fun of me.
"why I aughta"... she seemed to say.

So yeah - all that, plus a move (!!! more on that later, though), plus a great presentation from Universal House of Justice Member, Mr. Paul Lample on his new book Revelation & Social Reality: Learning to Translate What Is Written into Reality.

36 little hours - 1 busy little aimee piper.

And now - literally and figuratively - back to work!

Dear Vacation...

...you're the best - let's do this again sometime.
Just over a week ago, I went to Eilat for the weekend with some friends. I went last year when my brother Bill came to visit, too. I really like Eilat - if you ever get a chance you should check it out. Below are some pictures from the weekend. Enjoy!

...

Our caravan of camels.

Mine was named Khamra, which means red in Aramaic - kind of pretty, no?
1/2 Way through our camel-back tour of the southern Israeli desert, we stopped for this photo. The land on the other side of the water is Jordan to the north and Saudi Arabia to the south. Behind the photographer's left shoulder is Israel, behind his right - Egypt.

Mmmm. Lunch!

Aimee, Saloomeh, Shirin, Melina

Clearing Things Up...

So I've been trying to learn Persian off and on for maybe 5 years now (I'm slow, I get it...). Sometimes the phrases sort of get lost in translation for me - like this one: "Ou beman chap-chap negah-chard". Translation: "He/she looked at me left-left". This never really made sense to me. BUT! I think I've found the English equivalent - courtesy of dictionary(dot)com's word of the day.

*Other things I'm clearing up? My not-inconsiderable back log of W'sOD*

Word of the Day for Tuesday, July 14, 2009 (see - back log!)

louche \LOOSH\, adjective: Of questionable taste or morality; disreputable or indecent; dubious; shady.

*but here's the best part*

ORIGIN: Louche is from French louche, "shady, suspicious," from Old French losche, "squint-eyed," from Latin luscus, "one-eyed."

I guess a stink-eye by any other name is still a stink eye....


DISCLAIMER: The Persian language has no gender-specific pronouns.

Well Met...

My expectations last night were met, despite - to borrow from the NYT review from yesterday's paper - it's rather surgical adaptation of the book. But come on people - read the books already, hmmm?
However (!!!) my wildest dreams were completely blown away and exceeded by the b.r.i.l.l.i.a.n.t performances from Helena Bonham-Carter and Alan Rickman. Not that I was expecting any less (than to be amazed), but their performances were spectacular. They are so powerful in their craft and character - they perfectly (for me) embodied the respective characters of Bellatrix LeStrange and Professor Severus Snape.

Ms. Bonham-Carter as the simultaneously psychotically delightful and unnerving Bellatrix LeStrange
Mr. Rickman as the Half-Blood Prince.

*All images courtesy of random goo.gle searches. Get you some.*

Addendum...

Emma Watson is way cuter than the Hermione I read about - but that's what happens when Hollywood gets involved. But you know what this means, right? The smart girl finally equals the beautiful girl. And I'm 100% okay with that.

Image courtesy of i am a greedy girl

Thanks!

My Not Inconsiderable Geek-Factor...

Well kids - tonight I'm going to see the latest (please please please let it be greatest) movie in the Harry Potter enterprise: "Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince"! Yes, you can color me stoked (and more than a little excited)!
If memory serves... and it's probably already failed me - this picture was taken at the release of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Anyhow, this is definitely me and my sister Merilee - and we're definitely at Barnes & Noble...

...Now It's Over

Dear Nazy,

a;selrkje[oiyh.

love,
aimee

p.s. This video is amazing. Head's up (back in the day style) courtesy of Nazy. ...whose face I already miss.

...On Vocabulary

Today's Word of the Day (WOD) is sartorial.
sartorial \sar-TOR-ee-uhl\, adjective:
1. Of or relating to a tailor or to tailoring.
2. Of or relating to clothing, or style or manner of dress.
3. [Anatomy] Of or relating to the sartorius muscle.
If we're going to be friends, you should know that this word has, ever since Nasim hooked me up with - quite possibly - the world's largest head's up ever, been one of my favorite words since late summer 2007. You see, I encountered Scott Schuman's blog The Sartorialist nearly 2 years ago. I know - I don't know why it took me so long, either.
I think that this should pretty much wrap up the debate among certain of my friends as to whether Sir Schuman qualifies as a celebrity when we play Celebrity (fun game, I'll explain it someday I'm sure)... m'kay? Oh! Hey, Jared.
*Lovely image of the epitome of summer and completely perfect attire excerpted from The Sartorialist. As per of course.*

Here's to the Future...

Image courtesy of the BBC

Commentary courtesy of Miss Abi: "Ding ding ding. We have a winner. Someone has produced the most beautiful child ever."

The End of the Beginning...

Flip Darr

Last Monday (July 6th), my college swim and water polo coach, Flip Darr, passed away. Funnily enough, that is the day I joined a master's swimming team here in Haifa, Israel. Anyone involved in aquatics - particularly in Southern California - knows what a contribution Flip made to swimming. But Flip's humor and advice had (has?) a way of transcending the pool deck....

"The only way to swim fast is to swim fast" (Flip Darr). Are you with me?

Wishing the best to Flip in all the world's of God: to new beginnings.

Wait For It...

Why was 6 afraid of 7?
...because 7 ate 9. No? Too much? Come on people! Corny jokes are the wave of the future, I can feel it!
Anyhow, happy July 8th ... and stuff.

Further to My Previous Correspondence....

Sometimes I have little moments of inner-dialogue.
...like ever since I went swimming again this week.
Me: "Hello my various muscles that have, for the last 10 years, mastered the art of keeping my upright in my chair".
Triceps: "I hate you."
Hamstrings: "Yeah, me too"
Me: "Don't be silly! You'll thank me later!"

Sigh. I know - I really should get out more.

It's That Time of Year...

No, I'm not channeling my 'inner Vogue'... okay - I'm wont to do that sometimes.... But I mean that I'm swimming again! I know, a little excited - but it's seriously so great! I've located a master's swimming team here in Haifa - they're really good and there's a coach and everything!

Truth? I'm heck-of out of shape, though friends. Sigh. Oh well - all you need is time, right? Image courtesy of Cardigan Empire

So now that we're in the full swing of summer - how about you guys? Any hobbies that get some face time at this time of year? Or do you love your hobbies more consistently than I do?

With Liberty And Justice For All...

I first saw Dorthea Lange's Pledge of Allegiance, Raphael Weill Elementary School, San Francisco in 2002 at the Getty - and I was almost immediately blown away by the simultaneous power and tender emotion in this picture.
This picture - of a school yard full of little girls reciting the Pledge of Allegiance of the United States in 1942 - becomes more profound when you learn that within a few short months of the taking of this picture the United States government placed thousands of Japanese Americans in 'detainment camps'. Even these little girls.
The United States has come a long way in the roughly 70 years since the days and attitudes surrounding World War II; but if you examine - and closely compare - contemporary events with current events, I think you'll find mind numbing similarities. Consider particularly that if the economic uncertainty hasn't reached the devasting proportions experienced during the Depression, then the world seems determined to ignore the lessons learned from the Armenian genocide, the attempted extermination of the Jewish people, of Gypsies, and of anyone who questioned Stalin. In fact the appalling number of genocides occuring on a daily basis has sadly eclipsed the evils suffered by millions in the beginning part of the last century - at least in terms of diversity.
Friends, we can't afford to ignore history - excuse me for waxing pedantic, but I think we all know what happens as a result of that - but let us learn from it.
Let us, too, consider the Pledge of Allegiance, let us be "indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

That Deserves A Wow...

As per usual, I'm dealing with international releases on movies - so I'm of course late to the party - but friends? This movie is rad. Amazing, even.

Image: Courtesy of a random Goog.le search.

Thank you.

Sometimes You Feel Like...

An undercover Ninja.

Stealthy? Check.

Crafty? Hecks yes.

*shout out to Naysan for the head's up - you're a peach*

It Only Gets Better....

So there's something to be said about driving (or was it riding?) off into the sunset - but what's better than sailing off into the sunset? Yeah, I know.

Venice, courtesy of The Sartorialist

Field Trip...!

So I went hiking in this rad little canyon (gorge?) just north of the Sea of Galilee last weekend called Yehudia. It was amazing! Hike down to a snow-melt fed creek (super tiny river) with nice swimming holes and waterfalls....

Let's just say that there are ways and ways of getting down, hmmmm?

Yes, I rocked the second hand soccer shorts and requisite wife-beater/tank-top.

It's how I roll.