In This City

I love the way the city looks from far away...even with the cranes in the way.

This cloud scene was amazing. Too bad I couldn't capture it the way I saw it in real time.

Rainbows and fire hydrants? They go together, right? I mean, both involve H2O, no?

Does Anyone Else Hate Titling Their Posts?

I have a hard time with reference lines in emails too. They seem so redundant. But anyway:

My earring tree is a Paris tree...

Some of the best random photos are of your everyday objects. So here ya go.

I think it was actually meant to be some kind of office paperweight or decoration, but I had a better idea for it.

You know, I actually wear a lot more of my earrings now that I can see them all at once. So random, but it does make for a nice picture.

More randomness to come...

First for Everything

A Tribute

We miss you grandma, even though we know everything is better for you now. We're so relieved that you are more comfortable now, that you're no longer suffering, we are so happy that you are with your sweetheart once more. Tell him we miss him, too.

Just look at the way your family and your children's families have grown. Look at the influence you had in teaching them to be good to each other, to care for one another, to be good people.

Brother and Sister embrace

A part of us will always be with you, just as we are always a part of you. You've forever changed who we are, who we will become, and we will always be grateful we were lucky enough to know you.

Father and Son embrace

But you should be so proud of what you accomplished here, especially in the form of the loving family you raised and inspired. We love you and can't wait to see you and grandpa again.

Grandma/grandson embrace

Isn't this a precious grandma/granddaughter scene? She was singing as she rocked her darling grandbaby, just as I'm sure my grandma once rocked me.

Isn't the cycle beautiful?

This one is small for a reason. It was taken with my old camera and therefore the quality is awful. But I love Spring drives. This is from the end of May somewhere along I-80.

I cheated. I obviously didn't take this picture today since I'm currently in Utah and this fabulous scene is from the Port at Six-Fours, France (pronounced more or less "see-foor"). But as today was a rainy, not-so-pretty-for-photos day, I decided to check out my archive. Voila! And who wouldn't want to live there. Check out this sunset:

Picture Blog?

So my lovely friend Elaine inspired me to push myself (in the pursuit of getting better at something) by making a goal to post my progress everyday. She has a fabulous fashion blog you can find HERE. Since I don't have the fashion skill, and since I have a brand new camera I need to learn how to use, I decided I'd try taking at least one photo a day to upload to this blog. Sort of makes you accountable in a non-threatening way to make effort. Plus, I love having something new to look at everyday on her blog during my breaks at work, so maybe someone will be interested in looking at my amateur pictures, right? Okay, well it's a good thought anyway.

So without further ado, I present the tractor my dad has been using to level his unfinished backyard. It's so old-school that I felt it deserved a tribute. Still works like a charm. Plus, it just looks cool.

Pure Brilliance in the Form of Words

I stole the following anonymously authored gems entitled, "Random Thoughts from People Our Age" from my friend Elaine's blog. However, I understand these statements have already made the rounds on Facebook, so if you've already seen them, too bad. Since leaving Facebook I've had to come to the realization that I will now always and forever be the last to hear about everything. (Which I care a lot about, right? ha.) With that said, please enjoy. I think this list seriously changed my life.

I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.

More often than not, when someone is telling me a story all I can think about is that I can't wait for them to finish so that I can tell my own story that's not only better, but also more directly involves me.

Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.

Have you ever been walking down the street and realized that you're going in the complete opposite direction of where you are supposed to be going? But instead of just turning a 180 and walking back in the direction from which you came, you have to first do something like check your watch or phone or make a grand arm gesture and mutter to yourself to ensure that no one in the surrounding area thinks you're crazy by randomly switching directions on the sidewalk.

That's enough, Nickelback.

I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

Do you remember when you were a kid, playing Nintendo and it wouldn't work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically fix the problem. Every kid in America did that, but how did we all know how to fix the problem? There was no internet or message boards or FAQ's. We just figured it out. Today's kids are soft.

There is a great need for sarcasm font.

Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what was going on when I first saw it.

I think everyone has a movie that they love so much, it actually becomes stressful to watch it with other people. I'll end up wasting 90 minutes shiftily glancing around to confirm that everyone's laughing at the right parts, then making sure I laugh just a little bit harder (and a millisecond earlier) to prove that I'm still the only one who really, really gets it.

How are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.

I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.

The only time I look forward to a red light is when I'm trying to finish a text.

Was learning cursive really necessary?

Lol has gone from meaning, "laugh out loud" to "I have nothing else to say".

I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

Answering the same letter three times or more in a row on a Scantron test is absolutely petrifying.

My brother's Municipal League baseball team is named the Stepdads. Seeing as none of the guys on the team are actual stepdads, I inquired about the name. He explained, "Cuz we beat you, and you hate us." Classy, bro.

Whenever someone says "I'm not book smart, but I'm street smart", all I hear is "I'm not real smart, but I'm imaginary smart.”

How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear what they said?

I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars teams up to prevent an idiot from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers!

Every time I have to spell a word over the phone using 'as in' examples, I will undoubtedly draw a blank and sound like a complete idiot. Today I had to spell my boss's last name to an attorney and said "Yes that's G as in...(10 second lapse)..ummm...Goonies"

What would happen if I hired two private investigators to follow each other?

While driving yesterday I saw a banana peel in the road and instinctively swerved to avoid it...thanks Mario Kart.

MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the shower first and THEN turn on the water.

Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.

I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

Bad decisions make good stories.

If Carmen San Diego and Waldo ever got together, their offspring would probably just be completely invisible.

Why is it that during an ice- breaker, when the whole room has to go around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I'm from, this shouldn't be a problem....

You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you've made up your mind that you just aren't doing anything productive for the rest of the day.

Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don't want to have to restart my collection.

There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.

I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.

"Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this ever.

I hate being the one with the remote in a room full of people watching TV. There's so much pressure. 'I love this show, but will they judge me if I keep it on? I bet everyone is wishing we weren't watching this. It's only a matter of time before they all get up and leave the room. Will we still be friends after this?'

I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Dang it!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?

I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.

When I meet a new girl, I'm terrified of mentioning something she hasn't already told me but that I have learned from some light internet stalking.

I like all of the music in my iTunes, except when it's on shuffle, then I like about one in every fifteen songs in my iTunes.

Why is a school zone 20 mph? That seems like the optimal cruising speed for pedophiles...

As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers, but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate cyclists. (Although I don't hate cyclists, of course. I have some crazy cool cyclying friends. I love you Brooke!)

Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

It should probably be called Unplanned Parenthood.

I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.
Even if I knew your social security number, I wouldn't know what do to with it.

Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey- but I'd bet everyone can find and push the Snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time every time...

My 4-year old son asked me in the car the other day "Dad what would happen if you ran over a ninja?" How the heck do I respond to that?

It really ticks me off when I want to read a story on CNN.com and the link takes me to a video instead of text.

I wonder if cops ever get ticked off at the fact that everyone they drive behind obeys the speed limit.

I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

The other night I ordered takeout, and when I looked in the bag, saw they had included four sets of plastic silverware. In other words, someone at the restaurant packed my order, took a second to think about it, and then estimated that there must be at least four people eating to require such a large amount of food. Too bad I was eating by myself. There's nothing like being made to feel like a fatty before dinner.

Okay, so now I need to know which one is your favorite. If I had to choose, I would probably have to say the grocery bags, private investigators, Mario Kart bannana peel, and the offspring of Carmen San Diego & Waldo made me laugh the hardest. However, there aren't many I didn't relate to!

Please note the lovely faces of downtown.

I've always wanted to attend a mass in these churches, just to be able to see the interiors. I guess that will be my next goal. I absolutely love architecture. Anyone wanna go with me?

Cindee is: convinced Chevy Chase just came into her office.

Okay, no joke here: I walked into my boss' office this afternoon and saw a guy sitting across from his desk. He looked up at me and I could have sworn I was looking at Mr. Griswold, complete with goofy glasses. Clark? Clark Griswold? His voice even sounded about right. I kept expecting him to say: "Honey, I fixed the newel post!"

Now I am convinced that Chevy Chase took a job in my city. The economy is awfully bad right now, right? Maybe he really had to downsize.

Cindee is: having trouble staying focused at work today.

Since I axed the Facebook account, I guess I can continue those strange status updates here. Honestly, that's the only thing I miss about it: reading the random things people have to say (okay and maybe looking at photos). Although, I must admit that much of the time I ended up being irritated at all the negative I-hate-my-life and My-job-sucks updates instead. So maybe it's a good thing I don't see them anymore. I guess all there is left to say is:

Dear Facebook,

I'm over you. Maybe temporarily. Maybe forever. Don't be mad.

Love,
Cindee

Okay, back to work I go. That was a good break.

Oh the Places You Will Go!

Well, they say a picture is worth a thousand words and in this case it's a good thing. Check back later for a commentary. For now I'm all "computered" out. In the meantime, enjoy the picture stories.

A Sobering Moment

I wanted to put this on my blog for my own future reference and I didn't initially want to make a whole separate blog post.  But in the end, I decided: why not? This is my journal anyway.  

I just watched the horrific youtube video of the Iranian woman named Neda who was shot on her way to a Tehran protest. She did nothing more than get out of her car and she was brutally murdered by paramilitary figures. The following are quotes from this article that I wanted to remember. If you feel like reading it, you can too: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,528441,00.html.

Her family scheduled a memorial service to be held in a mosque in northern Tehran, but the government forbade ceremony. She was buried quietly at Tehran's Behesht Zahra cemetery on Sunday with only her family present, says Soona Samsami, executive director of the Women's Freedom Forum, who has been relaying information about protests inside Iran to international media.

All mosques were given a direct order from the government barring them from holding any memorial services for Neda, and her family was threatened with grave consequences if anyone gathered to mourn her, said Samsami.

Soltan's loved ones were outraged by the authorities' order not to eulogize her.

"They were threatened that if people wanted to gather there the family would be charged and punished," Samsami told FOXnews.com.

Much of the attention and blame for Neda's apparent murder is now being focused on Iran's leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, whose threatening speech Friday preceded the violent protests Saturday at which apparently Neda lost her life. Khamenei is now the prime target for protesters' outrage, Khalaji said.

I just wanted to comment on how tragic it is that an innocent woman's family is now denied the ability to mourn her in their traditional way because of governmental fear that she will become a martyr and add fuel to the ongoing protests. She is not the first to lose her life in this struggle, nor is this struggle the only tragic event occurring right now, but it struck a chord with me tonight. It's a very sobering moment to read about.

Sorry. I promise to bring back happy postings soon! I just had to make mention of my thoughts this evening.

The Renegades Return

I don't know how many of you have been following the state of unrest in Iran right now over the reelection of Ahmadinejad, but it brings back some very specific memories for me.  In an earlier post I talked about a book called Iran Awakening and it's inspiration, Shirin Ebadi.  If you missed that post, you can find it here.  The reason that I am reminded so much of this book as I read of the continuing protests and riots is that they are so reminiscent of the ones that occurred in the 1979 revolution Ebadi speaks of in detail in her autobiography.  I knew nothing about Iran before reading this book and have since become very interested in the country's history.

Thirty years ago, Iran was a much more modern country.  Students in college in the 60's and early 70's dressed in mini-skirts, just like in the U.S., women were welcomed in college classrooms and Ebadi, herself, was once a very prominent judge in the judicial system.  However, when the U.S.-backed government was toppled by the revolution at the close of the 70's, many unintended consequences rocked the country.  Women were suddenly required again to wear the burqa, and Ebadi and her female colleagues were demoted to secretarial positions within the judicial system.  

Now, I'm not a feminist, but I used these examples to show just how far regressive the new government was as far as modern progression goes.  For more about Ebadi and her book, you can read the Wikipedia article on her.  In any case, I think Iran Awakening is a fabulously enlightening read that everyone should pick up, especially because the woman won the Nobel Prize for her lifelong work and dedication to pursuing justice.

I digress.  In my enthusiasm for the book, I forget what I began writing for.  I write because today marks the fifth day of protest in Iran over the election results that many in the country believe were rigged.  There are many articles on the subject, but one in particular caught my attention: 

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aSstOZioMQ30.   

This is big--especially if the riots at the university and in the cities are as much like those of the 1979 revolution as many experts have expressed.   There are at least fifteen people who have died in the protests since last week's election.

I don't know much about the opposing candidate, Mousavi, but I liked that he was straightforward enough to say to Ahmadinejad in a public debate on June 3rd, "I don't think you're a dictator but your attitude will lead to dictatorship."

By the 15th Mousavi claimed he was under house arrest.  I tend to think that something was going on under the tables here, especially since days after the protests began the Iranian government began to forbid foreign journalists to leave their offices to report on the events. Anytime there is a banning on reporting, you know the country is afraid of something.  And in this case it is almost surely afraid of the world opinion. 

 

But more than anything I wonder what will happen--if the rioting will quiet or if the protests will turn into something more like a revolution.  Seems far-fetched to turn the protests into that at this point, but I would so love to see the Iranian people take back some of the freedoms they once had.  Then again I have been brought up on American ideals and principles.  

Perhaps I'm just like Thomas Jefferson who had so much faith in the perseverance of democracy and the rights of man that during the first few months of the French Revolution he continually assumed each disturbance was the last and that the French monarch and aristocracy were taking heed.  I tend to believe, perhaps naively most of the time, that the people in Iran want out of this rigid form of government in their country, but it appears that many Iranians also support and wish Ahmadinejad well.  It is probably a waste of time to speculate, but I still wonder.  

Well, what do you think?  Talk to me.