Schiavoni Files

SCHIAVONI FILES IS MOVING TO A NICER HOME

2007-04-11T18:07:00.000-05:00

Three housekeeping items:
1) I've moved my blog to a new url so I can take advantage of all the cool new comments/tracking features that the new templates have to offer (I'm not technical enough to add the new code myself so I figured moving is easier:

New URL: http://schiavonifiles.blogspot.com/

#2 and #3 items will be found on the new Schiavoni Files.

Sturvoni's take over Fyfe's bar

2007-04-02T12:26:00.000-05:00

Post party for papa Sturm.

From left: Mary Jo Schiavoni (mom), Ted (the neighbor), me, Dan Schiavoni (cousin), Luke Munz (honorary schiavoni for the night), Lisa Schiavoni (aunt), Gabe Schiavoni (cousin), Joan Schiavoni (aunt--Uncle Lou may be lying down on the stage behind us at this point), Joe Schiavoni (cousin), Erica Turner (sister-in-law), Jim Sturm (dad and reason for the party), Tony Sturm (brother), Zaid Maxwell (cousin) & Amelia (fiance').

Cow Wars

2007-03-27T20:16:00.000-05:00

I was watching TV in Wisconsin on Saturday and this commercial came on:

It really made me mad. It's one thing to see it in California but entirely something else to see it in Wisconsin! I mean they are blatantly taunting Wisconsin farmers on their own turf! If I had more time on my hands I would investigate why the Wisconsin farmers don't fight back, I might even lobby for an organized response. Trust me, I have driven route 5 past all those sprawling, disgusting, packed cow farms and those cows are anything but happy.

Great Sturvoni Weekend

2007-03-27T18:49:00.000-05:00

I went home to Wisconsin this weekend for my dad's 60th birthday/retirement party. We had a blast. Some of the Schiavoni boys flew in (pictured right at a previous schiavoni reunion) as well as some Sturms including Uncle Bill, Aunt Glen and cousin Zaid with fiance' Amelia. Tony and Erica were there too. We pretty much all partied like rockstars (car bombs, lemon drops, millerlites and my all-time favorite: the flaming dr. pepper). We so destroyed team Sturvoni every night that all we could really do during the days was sit around watching episodes of Arrested Development and eating. It was a great weekend.

Weather Channel Conspiracy

2007-03-15T18:03:00.000-05:00

In case you haven't seen this yet...
So ridiculous it's hilarious.

If I had the money I would start buying up property in my hometown of Madison, WI. It's such a great place but just too cold but mark my words that in a few years because of global warming people are going to be flocking there.

Still Don't Understand What My Company Does?

2007-03-13T16:42:00.000-05:00

Watch this video:

NPC 2.0

2007-02-28T15:41:00.000-06:00

Also exciting is the official launch of my company's new website: www.newprogressivecoalition.com.

It's neat because not only does it have political networking capabilities where you can contact other members directly, etc., but it also helps you find specific targeted resources and information based on the political interests you define on your profile.

There's a catch though, you have to be a member to use it. My company's goal is to find, grow and engage the next generation of progressive political investors. We want to make sure that people have a way to be more strategically engaged in progressive politics, connect with other like-minded people, and be treated like more than just an ATM machine every time a candidate rolls through town. It's time we get serious about building our progressive political infrastructure folks, and leverage the talent of the next generation of entrepreneurial individuals and organizations. As our CEO always says, remember what happened when the small financial investor got access to the research and information they needed to make smarter decisions about their financial investments? The market grew. It's not time for us to do the same in politics.

And we have kick-ass parties.;o) Tomorrow we have a PACKED launch party at this really cool new restaurant/speakeasy called Bourbon & Branch. Pictures to follow after tomorrow.

I Feel...

2007-02-28T15:10:00.000-06:00

How cool is this website my friend created? (Click"open we feel fine," load the page, and start clicking on dots, squares, mounds, etc.). How does it do that? I have no idea.

According to the site description: The system searches the world's newly posted blog entries for occurrences of the phrases "I feel" and "I am feeling". When it finds such a phrase, it records the full sentence, up to the period, and identifies the "feeling" expressed in that sentence (e.g. sad, happy, depressed, etc.)... [and] the author can often be extracted and saved along with the sentence, as can the local weather conditions at the time the sentence was written.

Of course this guy is also the brains behind Google's personalized search, but even so, I still feel impressed. (now I'm off to search for my quote particle).

Beer Goggles

2007-02-16T16:57:00.000-06:00

We've all had them at one point or another.

They finally came up with a mathematical formula to explain them (although they forgot to factor in variable "D" for desperation level).

The more interesting phenomena is some of the non-alcohol related slumming that happened to many of us in college. We called them Wesleyan goggles. I'd like to figure out the mathematical formula for those.

Then you get out of college and realize you weren't slumming after all, the pool was just much more quality to begin with (or at least it would be 5 years later when they turned from boys to men).

Leina's Life

2007-02-15T18:37:00.000-06:00

My brother Tony writes an almost daily blog about my roommate Leina. I've mentioned this before, but feel the need to mention it again since it's been so funny lately. Everyone who knows either Leina or Tony thinks it is pretty much hysterical. I am not sure if people who don't know either of them find it funny.

But you ask, how could my brother possibly have enough material to write so much about my roommate? a) Leina talks on the phone a lot and much of the time she is talking to my sister-in-law Erica who she grew up with and b) he makes stuff up to fill in the details.

Wouldn't it be great if everyone had a blogographer? I thought about writing one about my friend Stephen because he's a total character. And Stephen said he thought about writing one about our other friend Andy. Then maybe Andy could write one about me (except he now lives in China). But that would all take a lot of work.

My conclusion: my brother has too much time on his hands.

It's funny because as I'm writing this post about my brother's blog I find myself switching over to his writing style a bit. Kind of strange.

election fanatics

2007-02-12T00:01:00.000-06:00

I've always said that following electoral politics is like following any other sport.

You gotta keep track of the players/candidates, the odds/polls, game/campaign and of course, keep track of the wins and losses.

I'm now working on a growing list of electoral junkie characteristics. Here's my start:

holds congressional bracket pools in our office each election
heads right to the NYT Weekend Review like others do the sports page
attends or hosts presidential debate and state of the union parties (complete with political buzz word drinking games--"a shot every time Bush says nuculear")
watches the political betting sites with avid interest (they are usually very accurate)
And my new favorite (and the impetus for this post): Fantasy Congress

I definitely know a lot of race junkies who can name all the open seats in the country even in midterm elections complete with candidate bios and poll numbers. I personally think those folks are as crazy as the guys that know the draft pick round of every member of their favorite college football team. Still, I like to be a bit righteous about my chosen sport. The players aren't usually as hot or fun to watch, but the stakes are much higher.

beef with their burger

2007-01-19T19:40:00.000-06:00

Excuse the cutsy title but the Californian love affair with a particular burger is starting to drive me crazy.

So most of my crunchy San Francisco friends would never dream of stepping into a McDonalds. They say it's unhealthy, exploitative, globalization at its worst. These are the type of folks where if you even mention your occasional affinity for a bigmac your social status plummets. Which is fine, McDonald's definitely has issues.

The thing is, many of these same people pull right up to the In-N-Out Burger without a second thought.

When I protest the double standard, I usually get two lines of defense.

The first is the health argument. I find this argument only mildly annoying. In-N-out may be a "healthier" then McDonalds. I'll believe it's made with fresher ingredients and probably isn't tested in those scary labs that are similar to nuclear testing facilities. But c'mon now, it's still greasy, mass-produced, cheesy artery clogging goodness. But I won't get too worked up about this argument because it could be mildly legitimate.

The argument that really drives me insane is the many folks that tell me--no, insist--that they only go to in-N-out because it tastes so much better then the other fast food places. This assertion drives me almost as crazy as women who say that diet soda really tastes better then regular or that thongs are not only more fashionable but actually more comfortable then briefs. Please people.

Taking out health variables or societal implications, if you did a blind taste between a McDonald's Big and Tasty and an in-N-out burger animal style or not, I bet McDonalds wins. And I'd the bigmac or the whopper blows it out of the water (it's the special sauce). I'll go so far as to say that the in-N-out burger is not that good of a burger. It's kind of bland.

So I'm not debunking the Fast Food Nation argument that they are more socially responsible, treat their employees better and buy some of their ingredients locally. In fact, I usually choose In-N-Out over McDonalds for those reasons. I just don't want to hear the taste argument anymore.

The Bigmac may be processed, homogenized, chemically infused crap that makes you feel like you ate a ton of bricks afterwards, but all that manipulation makes for some damn good tasting burgers. And don't get me started on the in-N-out fries either... cardboard.

Ridiculous

2007-01-18T18:09:00.000-06:00

While Iraqi refugees are overwhelming countries like Jordan and Syria (literally hundreds of thousands), I was appalled to read this week that the Bush administration had only allowed some 400 Iraqis into the U.S. and plans to resettle a mere 500 more this year.

Rats

2007-01-08T17:58:00.000-06:00

I am very murophobic. As most of you know, this phobia was undoubtedly induced by my experience being bitten by a rat in the middle of the night some 3 years ago in my D.C. apartment. Yes, I am serious. I don't really want to write more because I have no intention of reliving the moment again, but imagine my dismay this morning when my co-worker sent around this article.

Judgement Day

2007-01-03T11:34:00.000-06:00

Saw this great show over the holidays.

"String Metal"

Two brothers seriously rocking out, convulsing...on violin and cello. There is also a drummer.

I first saw them opening for my good friend's fiance's group Arnocore which is also performance art at its finest.

I talked to the Judgement Day violinist awhile back after the Arnocore show. You could tell he was a sweet guy, a slightly nervous 23 year old classically unlike his on-stage persona. I told him I thought they were really onto something with this "string metal" genre. He said they rarely played because each brother attended separate colleges now and were also in multiple other groups.

I was telling my friend Guatam about Judgement Day on New Years and he said he once saw this German Metal group that was made up of 3 bagpipes and an acoustic guitar. It had some crazy German name I can't remember. We decided it would be cool to see the two unorthodox metal groups face off some day.

Watch the trailer from their last show here:

Beer Wars

2006-12-20T18:20:00.000-06:00

Months ago when I first moved to San Francisco, I went out to a bar with a bunch of friends. One of them was my friend Stephen (not crazy shirt Steven, another Stephen). Stephen is the friend whose reputation so preceded him when we met, it seemed almost divinely willed we'd become friends. He's also seen pictured on the bottom left of the holiday photo collage below.

Anyhow, back in March, Stephen was a loyal budweiser fan. It was his crappy beer of choice. I, of course, was a die-hard Miller fan.

So Stephen and I argued for long time about which beer was better: Miller or Bud. That night we decided to settle the controversy with a blind taste test.

We pitted a budlight against a millerlite. We made sure both beers were fresh and cold. I went first. Naturally, I had no problem telling which beer was superior. Bottle #1. Miller. Done and done. Then it was Stephen's turn. He tasted, paused pensively as he carefully considered his options, and finally proclaimed that he too chose bottle #1. This time, it was also Miller.

This was a big blow to Stephen. But he took it like a good loser. Instead of asking for a rematch, he announced there and then that his new crappy beer of choice would be Miller!

In the months past, I have taken every opportunity to remind Stephen of my victory. When I see him I usually offer to buy him a Miller (although for some reason I never usually get around to it...). A couple months ago I even bought him a crappy "Team Miller" T-shirt from the Milwaukee airport.

Well something in Stephen must have snapped. I guess he had enough of my beer blasphemy.

Today I got a fedex at work with a big neon sticker on the front that said "Red Hot Rush."

What could it be? I thought. And why was the return address from Illinois?

When I opened it, I found a really nice shirt with dainty writing embroidered on the right pocket: "Budweiser: The king of beers."

Beautiful.

NPC's Holiday Open-House

2006-12-19T20:21:00.000-06:00

The NPC Holiday Party. One member called it "epic." I wouldn't go that far, there was no dancing on tables or anything. But it was crowded and fun.

It took us like three days to decorate. We hung a lot of ornaments. We even had a feather wreath (kirstin's idea). I also advertised all over town the fact that all 7 of the NPC ladies are single (by contrast, all three guys are in serious relationships). I like to think that could have helped us get a crowd there too. We had almost 200 people.

Beautfiful Snow Covered...Amman??

2006-12-11T18:27:00.000-06:00

The fast approaching holiday season reminded me of of a picture my friend Dima sent me last year soon after I left Amman, Jordan.

It's the view outside her window.

Beautiful huh? Not quite the yellow sand dunes most folks think of when picturing the middle east.

And here I am sitting here in 60 degree northern California. It's just not the same christmas without snow.

Christmas was actually pretty big in Amman. The population is around 10% Christian and they go big. Even the non-Christians seem to get into the spirit. My only disappointment with my Jordanian Christmas was that they only sell plastic christmas trees. Makes sense though in a place where water is such a commodity. But plastic trees suck.

Speaking of Sacred

2006-11-20T20:47:00.000-06:00

Thanksgiving just might be my very favorite holiday.

It's the only holiday that hasn't been totally ruined by consumerism (not for lack of trying I'm sure).

It doesn't have any religious affiliation (not that I mind religious holidays but at least I don't have to see signs like put the christ back in x-giving or get pressured into going to midnight mass).

And the focal point of thanksgiving is, of course, eating....then watching TV.

Great holiday.

Is Nothing Sacred?

2006-11-20T15:01:00.000-06:00

You'd think this was an Onion article. But it's not.

They are seriously trying to find a corporate sponsor for the Golden Gate Bridge.

What's next? Corporate sponsorships of schools? Oh, wait, they already do that. In fact, my high school was sponsored by CocaCola.

Pretty gross if you ask me.

Underwater Treasure Hunt

2006-11-09T20:02:00.000-06:00

My friend Ali and the sister company of my old events company iJordan is hosting this amazing underwater treasure hunt next summer in Aqaba, Jordan where I used to dive at least once a month.

I'm so jealous I won't be there for this especially since Ali is the one who first taught me how to dive.

I've heard they do these regularly in Dubai but Aqaba's diving is sooo much better then Dubai's. Since I came back from Jordan I've learned much more about diving. Well, mostly I've learned that I was SPOILED to learn how to dive in the Red Sea. It is some of the best diving in the world (and Aqaba especially is one of the best kept diving secrets).

It really hit home how much I took Aqaba for granted when I tried to go diving in northern California a couple months ago. Before that I'd had only amazing dives in Aqaba, Jordan; Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt and even dove with 22 foot manta rays in Thailand.

So I was itching to get underwater again and people kept telling me about Monterey diving. They said I would see these beautiful kelp forrests.

I was really excited so I drove down there for the weekend, and basically it was a lie.

I paid $150 to swim through a murky pile of seaweed in like 15 degree water. It was challenging too there was a ton of surf. The guy told me he was surprised what a good diver I was though so that made my day.

But I know I'm pretty good. After all, I was taught from the best: Thank you Divemaster Ali. Can I come to your treasure hunt please?

Happy Day

2006-11-08T18:05:00.000-06:00

Still can't believe Dems pulled it out last night!

Guess my accusations of cheating were, um, overblown. Guess I'm a conspiracy theorist at heart afterall.

I partied like a rockstar last night. There were many martini toasts to Speaker Pelosi.

And in case you were worried, the San Francisco proposition to adopt a policy of impeachment passed 59%-40%.

BOMB THREAT AT MY HIGH SCHOOL POLLING SITE

2006-11-07T18:03:00.000-06:00

Bomb threat closes Madison East High School polling site

Wow, this is the most exciting mid-term election day ever.

For an accurate depiction of the historical boringness of mid-term elections, check out this short animation from the Daily Show.

Beware of Exit Polls

2006-11-07T18:00:00.000-06:00

Of course the Republicans are telling folks to beware of exit polling.

It doesn't matter what percentage of folks say they voted Democrat when the voting machine isn't working properly.

I agree though that exit polls don't work. I remember election night 2004 hearing until the last moments that the Democrats were sweeping the country. Yeah, that didn't turn out too well.

California Should Be Ashamed

2006-11-07T12:47:00.000-06:00

Seriously folks, the California ballot is like 12 pages.

I had to cross reference 3 different voter guides to figure out what I was doing. Then I got to the page on judges and was completely stumped. Nothing in any of the guides told me anything about voting for judges.

Then there are the ballot initiatives.

This state thinks it's being so forward and populist with all these damn ballot initiatives. But I work in politics and if I had trouble voting, I can safely assume that monster of a ballot scares off half of the average Americans who would consider voting.

And we have to vote on ballot measures whtether to issue a statement of policy that San Francisco wants our federal representatives to impeach Bush and Cheney.

Please.

I don't want my city getting involved in ridiculous issues like that. I bet it costs hundred of thousands of dollars to get that measure on the ballot not to mention the wasted human capital. Can we please focus on real issues like affordable housing and education?

I'm as progressive as they get but this place quickly shows you the underbelly of overally liberal governance. It's amazing really, I never thought I'd be talking this way, but it makes me sad to dread election day. It's like a being football coach who dreads going to the superbowl.

The Joys of Election Day

2006-11-07T12:38:00.000-06:00

It's Election Day!

And there is a reason why Republicans are so calm.

It's because they cheat really well.

We all know that both sides play dirty come election time, but let's face it, if anything the last 5 years have taught us, Republicans are much better cheaters and liars then Democrats are.

Be afraid, be very afraid.

My co-worker (who lives in Oakland and is African American) had to fill out a provisional ballot because he wasn't on the list even though he got all the election materials in the mail telling him where his polling place was. Strange. Many more similar stories are coming out.

Bring in the international election monitors!

Costumes of Past

2006-10-31T20:48:00.000-06:00

I have no costume this year which is depressing.

Normally I always fall back on my beekeeping costume. It was super easy and high quality since we actually used it to take care of the small apiary we had in our backyard at home until two years ago when my mom found out the hard way she had developed an allergy to bees.

That costume was cool because we had the whole get-up including the veil, smoker and a red hat that said bee a badger with a picture of bucky badger the University of Wisconsin mascot. And I would go down to state street to the insane University of Wisconsin halloween celebrations the college kids thought it was so cool. Plus, I'd carry a jar full of honey which was always, um, a hit.

One year I had the insanely bright idea to wrap myself in a whole role of duct tape and go as "a role of duct tape." I actually got my friend Lizzie to do it because she's got artistic ability. I really wish we had taken pictures because it was an amazing wrap job complete with leggings and a mini-skirt. But it was really uncomfortable, tough to take off and I had to watch my liquid consumption. I really wish I had pictures of that one though.

The one I do have pictures of but would never show them here is my shishkabob costume. Think lots of real, raw vegetables. It featured the pepper-kini. Don't ask.

My Marge Simpson in high school was classic too. I was all yellow with the dress and a big paper mache' head of blue which I cried about because it didn't look real but I won the halloween costume hands down anyway.

Random costumes run in the family. I'll never forget my brother tony who went as the Denorex Man (note picture of above is not tony but is Onion's Guy of the Year 1996) "This side tingles, this side doesn't." Or tony had this really strange "juicer of the future" costume. Never mind, I'm not going to bother describing that one.

Happy Halloween. I'm off to drink wine and make fun of people (which will really just be thinly veiled jealousy that I didn't get my act together to find a costume this year).

Halloween: Pirates, Ghosts and Skin

2006-10-24T12:42:00.000-05:00

I often rant about how halloween is the average girl's chance to dress as slutty as possible for a night and get away with it.

Nice to see that the New York Times had a similar conclusion this year.

While I call it like I see it, that doesn't mean I don't embrace it. I thought seriously about being this woman on the right (a.k.a. Two Martini Schiavoni). But alas the costume was sold out. Plus, let's face it, I don't have olives like that.

Click here, must win.

2006-10-23T12:31:00.000-05:00

Okay, I need your help.

I am trying to beat my co-worker on the number of referrals to the NPC site from each of our blogs. Right now, he's at 14 and I'm at 11. I must win this for the sake of office bragging rights.

I need you to click here. Or here: www.newprogressivecoalition.com.

While you're at it, check out the shout out NPC got on Planting Liberally and cross posted on myDD.

I'll let you know if I win (I don't think my co-worker even knows we're in competition yet but he will soon!).

McBeef Fantastic

2006-10-18T17:11:00.000-05:00

Interesting McDonalds U.S. Regional Cuisine I have eaten:
McLobster sandwich in Maine
McBrat(wurst) in Wisconsin (not bad, it was a Johnsonville Brat)
The Gilbert Brown Burger when the Packers made it to the Super Bowl in 1997... Actually, that was Burger King...

International Specialities:
In Italy, the McDonalds carried pretty decent espresso and cappuccino.

In the Middle East, they had the McArabia sandwich which was "two grilled meat patties, Arabic bread, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, Tahena sauce" (which I actually tried in Jordan--it wasn't bad--the way they looked at me though I think I was the only one who had ever ordered it). Another interesting note is that all McDonalds meat served in the Middle East is 100% halal which means it is permissible under Islamic law.

I did not try the sandwich above but would like to. It's from Singapore and called the The McBeef Fantastic which is an awesome name. It is rice patties with sliced prime beef that's been marinated with an Asian sauce, and grilled with white onions.

Anyone else eaten crazy food at McDonalds? Anyone else out there who will even admit they've eaten at McDonalds?

Karl Rove Says Evangelical Leaders Are Nuts

2006-10-12T11:56:00.000-05:00

I'm on a political rant this morning. There's been SO much lately but I haven't felt compelled until this morning.

Here's another goodie that hasn't been picked up on any grand scale yet.

According to the Crooks and Liars Website:

David Kuo, who was the number two guy at the Office of Faith Based
initiatives in the White House writes a scathing account of how the
administration used Christians to grab and maintain power. This story validates Tucker Carlson's admission that: "The deep truth is that the elites in the
Republican Party have pure contempt for the evangelicals who put their party in
power."
According to Kuo, Karl Rove's office referred to evangelical leaders as 'the nuts.'

Bush's base is already down from 95% approval to 75%. How low can it go?

Mark Who Did What?

2006-10-12T11:37:00.000-05:00

Now if your name is Mark Warner and there was this big scandal surrounding a guy named Mark Foley, why would you choose that time to announce you weren't running for president?

I like Mark Warner, but even my first reaction was: "They must have something on him."

And by the way, can the New York Times ever print a good picture of Warner? He's not a bad looking man. Remember that New York Times Magazine cover story that made him look like Guy Smiley? This current story makes him look like a gangster from the Sopranos.

On a personal note, I am dissappointed he isn't going to run. Thought he would have made a good presidential candidate. I'm all for Democratic Governors (or former Governors) from red states running for President.

Birthday Happy Hour

2006-09-21T19:59:00.000-05:00

so hung over from my birthday happy hour. i think it destroyed half myNPC co-workers as well. good times. some highlights include:

my brother wearing a hipster hat (and Lavery's hand-me-down shirt)
the make-shift burrito feast
my brother lecturing me on showing too much cleave in my new low-cut dress
the lemon chiffon cake T & E baked and disclaimored even though everyone loved it
the chaser pill that saved my life (i'm not kidding those things really work)
Alison's rant on the pitbull paintings
the little mermaid pen Kirstin & Catalina gave me
Steven showing up in a normal-looking shirt

Shirts

2006-09-20T16:17:00.000-05:00

It is my birthday and i know i should write some profound post about how i feel cheated out of my youth by all these 30-40-somes i surround myself with. Or rant on my favorite fitting country music lyrics... "I'm muuuch too young to feel this damnnn old...." Go Garth.

But no, today, I'm going to blog about my friend Steven.

Steven was the first new guy i met when i moved here six months ago. He is also one of those people that knows everyone--networker, connector extraordinaire.

Through Steven, I have met hordes of other interesting folks from silicon valley to hayes valley. Steven does more networking in a night then i do in a week, and more stunningly to this girl who needs her savignon blanc to power through menial small talk, he does it all completely sober.

But, energy aside, the real blog-worthy story here is Steven's shirts (right).

Steven has this amazing ability to pull off extremely loud shirts. From salmon to lime green, he will wear them all with style even in a fashion-conscious social setting.

Now those who know me understand i have no business talking clothes or fashion of any sort, so rest assured, this is my way of applauding what i see as unabashed individuality. i love it.

The older I get the the more I realize how much individuality really does matter. There are a ton of talented, attractive, successful people out there. But to be candid, a lot of them are boring. The people that stand out to me are the ones who have the extra interesting qualities. The unique take on life, the underrepresented talent, that extraordinary capacity to lead people or the ability to maintain complete confidence while wearing a salmon shirt and pin striped pants.

Artificial Flavor

2006-09-18T18:34:00.000-05:00

Since I've been too lazy to blog, it's nice to have friends who blog my thoughts for me.

My friend Auren recently captured a particularly random thought of mine.

I'm a big fan of random thoughts... Would love to hear some of yours.

I don't get it

2006-08-18T15:29:00.000-05:00

I watched the nightly news last night and was offended. NBC led the evening news with a story about JonBenet Ramsey's death and some new suspect. According to the Think Progess website all the major networks ran that same topic as their top story.

According to Think Progress, NBC ran a 7 minute segment on JonBenet's suspected killer followed by a 27 second segment on how a federal district judge ruled that President Bush's wiretapping program was illegal and ordered the National Security Agency to shut it down.

Is this a joke??

Do we assume that this is proof of the absolute power of the right-wing media machine (to bury the NSA story) or is it just that Americans are really that apathetic or idiotic that they care about the suspected killer of one pretty white girl (sad yes, but over a thousand children are killed in this country every year) more then the future of civil liberties for the entire country or the fledgling peace deal affecting the health and well-being of thousands in the Middle East (that segment ran 3rd).

Annoying.

X-RAY

2006-08-10T19:04:00.000-05:00

You asked for it brother. But I guess it doesn't look as dramatic as it felt. See that bone sticking out on the left side of my wrist? That's not supposed to be there.

Much grosser is a picture of the actual surgery that i accidentally/masochistically looked at a few minutes ago. Here I've only linked to the page with the scar because but if you are sick you can follow the link on that page that says warning this may be graphic. Good times.

Mama Schiavoni is flying out for my big day... now that's love.

I've appreciated all the help from my brother with the posts while i was struggling (this post has taken me 20 minutes to write with one hand). I don't think I've ever got so many hits on my blog as when T made his guest appearance. Definitely enjoyed the lively debate (even more so when i was still on the vicodin).

Principled?

2006-08-09T17:16:00.000-05:00

So it looks like Schiavoni is going to need some pins in those bones. She'll be off the keyboard for some several weeks more. She allegedly scanned the x-rays but I don't know why she hasn't posted them here yet.

It was exciting to have such vigorous debate on this site (thank you matty and anonymous!). I am thrilled that my last post inspired such passion. I don't know the polls but Leiberman's independent candidacy best not result in the Repugs winning the seat.

One thing that kept coming up in the debate was that word 'principled.' It is a word which is neat because it can be used, with the same meaning, as either an insult or a compliment. For instance, our boy Feingold is called principled--either by matty who's pissed about his Ashcroft vote (but you really think that AG choice number two wouldn't have advocated just as vigorously what whatever DoJ lackey did the actual writing) or by me who is just happy he believes in something and has consistency in almost everything he does.

Can you be too principled? I love Feingold's principled stands on the issues even though I occasionally disagree with him. For awhile I was calling him the only principled member of the Senate. Until I remembered that we don't all have the same principles.

I hate Brownback's principled stands because I hate his principles. Principles are great when you generally agree with them (against patriot acts, the president spying on our citizens, etc) but annoying when you don't (anti-abortion, stem cells, etc.).

So who are #1 and #2 on a google 'principled senator' search? #1: Hutchinson's vote for some tiny amount of cash for the national legal services program #2: the late, lamented, Wellstone.

Any thoughts on least- or most-principled congresspeople and whether it's a good or a bad thing? There's a point where you ought to be practical instead of principled, I suppose.

Ouch!

2006-08-01T01:24:00.000-05:00

Rarely do I step in, but Angie has just gone on the disabled list. In a s0ftball injury that was uncannily similar to Hideki Matsui's, Angie is down to one arm on the keyboard.

This weekend, we kept talking about Lieberman, Lieberman, Lieberman. (Here is my favorite written piece on it to date.) Somehow in three different conversations--with Schiavoni, with a recent law school graduate, future political candidate and self described San Francisco Limosine Liberal, and with a Berkeley Ph.D. The consensus in each conversation was that while we disagree with Lieberman on many issues, he would vote for a Democratic Majority Leader, and despite his holier-than-thou self-righteousness, he does carry the (D) after his name. It is ridiculous for the Dems to hold a witch hunt within their own ranks and for MoveOn, et al. to be devoting its manpower and resources against a Democrat. He's not progressive, but wouldn't the energy be better suited to unseat someone like the environmental disaster that is Rick Pombo (for us Northern Californians, at least!). The Democratic party has a big tent, right?

Armitage on Lebanon Bombings

2006-07-27T16:27:00.000-05:00

According to the "Think Progress Website" Richard Armitage told NPR in an interview that he thinks the bombings in Lebanon will end up empowering Hezbollah. No other major media outlets have yet reported on these remarks.

Armitage said:

If I thought that this air campaign would work, and would eliminate Nasrullah and the leadership of Hezbollah, I think it would all be fine. But I fear that you can’t do this from the sky, and that you’re going to end up empowering Hezbollah, and perhaps introducing an element into the body politic in Lebanon that will take some great period of time to recover from.

Think Progress has the audio on their website if you want to listen to his entire interview.

Veto Power

2006-07-19T18:25:00.000-05:00

The first veto of his presidential career....

was it to protect our environment?
pay down our embarrassing national debt?
modernize our health care system?

nope...he used it to dash hope of a cure for millions of terminally ill patients...

Now there's a leader we can be proud of.

Bring on the rapture...

They've Been Through So Much

2006-07-17T14:30:00.000-05:00

As many of you know, I traveled to Beirut last September. Check out more pics and the post here.

What a beautiful city Beirut was and probably the city where I felt the most comfortable of all the cities I traveled to in the ME.

I have been talking quite a bit with my Jordanian and American friends about what is happening there right now. Opinions vary, but the main consensus is that it is all just really sad.

We all agree that Hizbollah's kidnappings were inexcusable and reprehensible. Many of us also think that Israel has a right to defend itself but that they are overdoing it by not only going after Hizbollah strongholds but also destroying infrastructure in downtown Beirut and killing and injuring civilians of this fragile new Democracy. One Jordanian friend eloquently observed that "Israel always goes straight for the jugular."

I mourn what both countries are going through right now. On a personal level, I am worried for the people I met in Lebanon and my friends in Jordan who have loved ones there. Even though I visited Beirut during a time of relative stability, it was clear that fatalism has been etched permanently into their hearts and minds. To put that in more colloquial terms, the folks I spoke with talked openly about impending war and death, many had thousands in credit card debt (you can't take $ with you when you go), and literally partied like there was no tomorrow.

We can't choose where we are born. We can't choose the time we are born in. But it is more important then ever that the countries who can choose their leaders do so with great caution.

The evangelical Rapture Ready message board for evangelicals read last Thursday, “Is it time to get excited?” Crazy times.

Rollerdrome

2006-07-12T21:22:00.000-05:00

About a month ago Kirstin and I were driving past this rollerskating rink on our way home from work and Kirstin said she wanted to go sometime which totally blew me away because she is usually too-cool-for-school about those kind of things. But then again she is kind of retro so it wasn't a totally unplausible scenario.

So, for Kirstin's birthday the whole NPC team surprised here by taking her skating. It was totally great to see the whole crew on skates. Some were going backwards while others were holding onto the wall for dear life (you know who you are). Along with our "party package" we got to use this "party room" which was like a 5' x 5' closet and hotter then all hell. We packed in there for our cake and two free pitchers of soda and uncorked some champagne contraband. It was a good time all around. We were hoping to take a team picture with our rollerskates but we forgot the camera so Ludovic went and bought us a disposable camera but they only had one kind at it was horrible quality.

I just want to give a shout out to the Rollerdrome in Madison, WI where we used to go every Friday night from age 12-14 for teaching me how to skate and also dad for taking me to hockey nights on Lake Mendota.

4th of July Story

2006-07-05T20:39:00.000-05:00

I was at a BBQ watching the Italy v. Germany World Cup match with a bunch of folks including this outspoken British intellectual type. Being Independence Day, someone eventually made a crack about the "Red Coat" sitting next to us.

But instead of laughing or reacting, the Brit looked confused.

He had never heard the term Red Coat!

According to this chap, British children never learn about their involvement in the American Revolution. While it fills chapters and chapters of our history books, it's a mere footnote in their textbooks.

While it shocked me, I guess it shouldn't that surprising that countries dwell on their victories and skim their defeats. This country isn't even dwelling on our current defeats!

Still weird though.

I also learned that Paul Revere wasn't actually saying "The Redcoats are coming." He was saying "The Regulars are coming" referring to the regular (British) Army. I don't know if that is true though but I thought it was interesting.

NPC in DC

2006-06-18T13:44:00.000-05:00

Our Network Hour in DC was a success! We had about 100 people. It was a great mix of young and old, experienced and fresh faced, those seeking resources and giving. It was gorgeous outside and our event eventually migrated to the rooftop of the venue (Local 16). I was jacked up on redbull trying to compensate for a sleepless--middle seat--baby next to me screaming--redeye flight I had taken the night before. Arguably, I could have taken a nap in the morning instead of shopping for a new dress for the event (found one from ann taylor--very DC--when in Rome). I figured adenaline and redbull could carry me through and for the most part they did. Picture on top shows the other NPC ladies that flew out for the event: Catalina, our Investor Services Director, Kirstin, my friend and boss (ED) who I've followed to 3 jobs by now and Deb our Community Resources Director. We do have 3 men on staff but it was kind of neat that only the ladies were at this event.

Did a lot in a couple days in DC. Walked around Dupont and had my favorite apple blue salad with blackened chicken at Luna Grill. Went to my favorite second hand store Second Story, my old nail place Q-West, got coffee at Tryst in Adam's Morgan, hit up Stetsons (and got my first free drink ever after years of patronage), went with Wesleyan college friends to hipster bar Wonderland, went with NPC ladies to some terrible club in Georgetown where Derrick Jeeter was just leaving as we were arriving. It was a great weekend all around. Good to be back in DC but also reminded me how glad I am to be in SF. DC for me was mostly about working, bars, drinking, eating, shopping, working and drinking some more. I get out more in SF. I Have more adventures and live a more balanced life. I've decided DC is a nice place to visit, but I'm glad to call San Francisco home.

Event Inside the Beltway

2006-06-14T19:46:00.000-05:00

Off to our nation's capital for our inaugural DC NPC Network Hour event there.

I'm taking a brutal redeye tonight where I have to change flights in Detroit but I'm taking it for the team because the ticket was so cheap.

It's an invite-only event so I probably shouldn't have posted the invite online, but I doubt anyone from DC reads this thing and if they do then I bet they are cool and might want to become members of NPC?! We are psyched because we expected around 40 people would show up and our RSVP list is already up to 110! Not too shabby. It's a quality list too. Okay, I'm rambling. Good stuff. Gotta go pack. I really need a new outfit. Oh well.

California Camping is Weird

2006-06-12T17:09:00.000-05:00

Went camping.

First day climbed 3,000 ft. to a 9,000 ft snow-covered summit (pictured right). Didn't realize that the trail was closed due to snow until it was too late. Came back wet and tired from trail-blazing.

Second day traversed logs across mountain river rapids (pictured right). Didn't realize that the trail was closed due to high water until it was too late. Came back wet and tired from trail-blazing.

Remind me to stop by the visitor's center next time before starting an 8 mile hike. So fun though.

Also saw General Sherman, the world's largest tree (doesn't look too impressive in picture but was really big).

Cool thing about CA is how varied the terrain is. One minute you can be freezing in 2 ft of snow and 20 minutes later you are dying of heat in 90 degree dusty valley. Makes it hard to pack light though.

Reminded me of Beirut, Lebanon where you can ski down a mountain and swim in the ocean all in one day.

Ditty Bops

2006-06-04T12:35:00.000-05:00

Saw this really fun show last night: The Ditty Bops. The two women are touring across the country on their bikes. They played a sort of playful, lively folk music and were really entertaining. One of the girls is super cute and smiley and the other girl was really serious. We thought she must be in a bad mood or maybe tired from the biking but then we saw their website and it looks like that is just her stilo. I think I'm going to buy their CD. They had a funny song called Your Head's Too Big and the smiley girl sucked in helium from a baloon. I thought that was pretty creative.

Global Warming is Scary

2006-06-03T22:00:00.000-05:00

Man, that new Al Gore movie on global warming scared the crap out of me. We're looking at catastrophic consequences over the next 20 years unless we make some serious policy changes.

Gore was good. Don't know how well this movie will play to the masses (I was enthralled but it's a lot of Gore standing on a stage drawing graphs), but as Roger Ebert points out, everyone owes it to themselves to see this film. Seriously. Go see it as soon as possible.

So what is our fearless president focusing on this week to keep us safe and secure from impending disasters of all sorts? Banning gay marriage. Wonderful. We definitely have our priorities straight.

Global Warming

2006-06-02T17:23:00.000-05:00

Going to see the premiere of Al Gore's movie "An Inconvenient Truth" tonight and then to an after-party with the producer. Should be interesting.

Yesterday I was at an event for this new group 3650 that is putting eco-friendly messages in cartoons and animation to help educate the masses about climate change and global warming. The group includes some of the top animators from cartoons like Who Framed Roger Rabbit, the Family Guy and the Simpsons. Al Gore is also involved with this project.

Global warming is definitely a popular issue right now. So is Al Gore. Seems like he's peaking right now. Heard he was treated like a movie star at the Cannes Film Festival.

Some say Gore could have won the 2000 election (won by more I should say) if he had talked about his passion, the environment, instead of listening to his consultants who told him it was a dead issue.

Not only is it an issue that cuts across party lines but it also may have helped loosen him up to talk about something he was truly passionate about. But hindsight is always 20/20.

N.Y. in S.F.

2006-05-30T19:23:00.000-05:00

Last Thursday night I met my friend Elizabeth who was visiting from New York. I love my friend Elizabeth because she's so hip and stylish and she works for the Fed but yet she is very down to earth. She even found me a hairdresser Larry who is helping me grow out my awful haircut that I got right before I left Amman.

Larry was very honest with me about how bad my hair was. He is fabulous and only charges $25. He said they cut random chunks out of my hair for no apparent reason. He told me he was surprised I wasn't more upset because most girls would be upset. I figure it is hair and it will grow. I do complain a lot about looking like an 80's punk rocker.

Saturday I spent time with my friend Ben and his girlfriend Caitlin also in from New York. Ben is an honorary member of the Sturvoni family. Ben always makes my brother and I happy because he is such a character. He is an options trader, professional poker player and a vegetarian who likes boca vegetarian bratwurst and most other fake meat products. We were thinking of starting a blog for Ben the way that my brother is a blogographer for my roommate Leina because there would be a lot to write about. We all went to a BBQ for Leina with Ben and took a new picture to put on Leina's blog because her family was complaining it wasn't a good picture of her. I realized for the first time that both Ben and I are in the old picture on Leina's blog so Tony made us be in the new picture for an exact reinactment. I didn't look like an 80's punk rocker in the old picture though.

Sleeping Under the Vines

2006-05-24T17:52:00.000-05:00

How cool is this.

Combines two of my favorite things in the whole world, drinking wine and camping.

Only in northern California.

Content

2006-05-22T20:42:00.000-05:00

The NY Times ran this article on Sunday about Digital Chocolate, a company which develops games and applications for cell phones. Just struck by the CEO's comment and the reporter's analysis of the comment:

"Content is just a means to an end, so there's something to talk about," he
said. In other words, social connection trumps all.

Is that true? Is all content just a means to an end? Is all this blogging, researching, reading and writing just a way to connect? Just looking for thoughts on this comment really. Seems strange to look at content in this context but kind of cool too...

My co-worker Catalina was talking today about how cell phone content is even more important then internet content because it reaches across demographics and S.E.S (the new cool acronym I learned this week for socio-economic status). A lot of cell phone content is internet content but still it's interesting to think the future is in our little tiny phones.

I really hate doing things other then calling people on my cellphone cause the darn screen and keys are so small... but in China that's the way things are heading and I did recently buy the 100 text messages a month plan for an extra $5.95. Annoying but worth it.

By the way, people down text messaging but I'm a huge fan. You cut out at least a full 2 minutes of greetings and other formalities off the average call.

Instead of a typical phone call:

"Hi"
"Hi"
"How are you?"
"Good, you?"
"All is well"
"So, will I see you at our event tonight?"
"Yeah, I was going to come by after work, I might be a little late."
"No worries, it won't get good until like 7:30 anyways. So, I'll see you there then."
"Yep, Sounds good."
"Okay cool, see you later then"
"Bye"
"Bye"

[And that first conversation is only so short if you're brusk like me.]

You punch in rapid-fire t9 word:
"Are you coming to the event tonight?"
"Yes but might be late."

So worth $5.95.

Tahoe

2006-05-12T17:43:00.000-05:00

It's been a busy couple of weeks. The good news is that I'm finally over my seasonal affective disorder as it has actually been sunny outside!

So last weekend a bunch of us went to Tahoe for one of the last skiable weekends before it gets too warm.

I was feeling okay about the trip because I was in the Ski Club in high school and I mistakenly thought it would be a good idea to go skiing for the first time in 10 years with crazy Kirstin, Xenia and Chris.

Not so much.

Moreoever, I learned how to ski at Devil's Head in Wisconsin. We went to Squaw in Tahoe. Devil's Head's Black Diamond run is like Squaw's bunny hill. It isn't even the same sport.

Needless to say, it was scary and I fell a lot (for those that know me well this is no surprise). I have spent the last week recovering and bruise watching (9 in total). It's neat how bruises change colors from purple to blue to yellow.

I had a ton of fun though. And the coolest thing is you could practically ski in a T-shirt it was so warm out. I'm used to freezing in -20 degrees and spending half the day in the warming house. In Tahoe it was 55 degrees! Skiing in 55 degree weather is weird.

So in other news, tonight I'm heading to the Giant's game to hopefully see Barry Bonds break Babe Ruth's home run record. I've been told if I go to the game I'm not allowed to mention his steroid problems or do any other sort of Bond bashing, but that is going to be tough. I'll let you know how it goes...

Colbert's Speech at White House Dinner

2006-05-01T14:52:00.000-05:00

Click here for what is by far the most exciting video CSPAN has ever broadcast.

I'm sure this will be all over everything in the next few hours, but check out what Stephen Colbert did at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner last night while roasting Bush and the Press.

It is awesome! But almost uncomfortable to watch! This makes Jon Stewarts appearance on Crossfire look like T-Ball (thanks for the correction dad--Hannity, Carlson, they're all the same). I would put money that someone got fired for this program decision.

I've linked to a blog that has all three parts.

A Time for Heresy

2006-03-29T14:01:00.000-06:00

Not usually a big thought-piece poster. But if you only read one over the next couple months make it this one by Bill Moyers. It's incredibly powerful:

This is a time for heresy. American democracy is threatened by perversions of money, power, and religion. Money has bought our elections right out from under us. Power has turned government “of, by, and for the people” into the patron of privilege. And Christianity and Islam have been hijacked by fundamentalists who have made religion the language of power, the excuse for violence, and the alibi for empire. We must answer the principalities and powers that would force on America a stifling conformity. Either we make the heretical choices that will inspire us to renew our commitment to America’s deepest values and ideals, or the day will come when we will no longer recognize the country we love.

Yes, we may all be talking to ourselves, but let's know how to articulate our worldview in case we encounter someone who will listen.

Happy Wednesday.

Stand by Me

2006-03-22T16:12:00.000-06:00

I went to a cool event last night. It was put on by the Full Circle Fund.

I went there alone and was pleasantly surprised to find I actually knew some people. I don't know why I was surprised though because progressive politics is a pretty small world.

So I saw my new friend Steven. He was wearing a mint green plaid shirt. The other night he did his "talent act" for Kirstin and me. We were both a little worried it wasn't going to be funny and we would be stuck in an awkward situation at this nice restaurant but luckily it was funny.

He does these diatribes on politics where he flips his words. They are called spoonerisms. At first it's hard to understand and then your brain starts to adjust. It's pretty weird.

I also finally met another Steven who Erica and my roommate Leina both went to high school with. He manages a mutual fund and they have been telling me I should meet him. I even met his mom one weekend at the market with Leina before I met him. Last night we finally met so that was good.

The featured speaker at the event was Rob Reiner who discussed his involvement in Prop. 82 which if it passes will be a funded mandate for universal pre-school in California. Interesting.

As the face of the campaign, Reiner's getting a lot of mud thrown at him and you could tell from his speech it's really getting to him. Politics is a tough business.

I love how he directed Harry Met Sally, Princess Bride, Spinal Tap and Stand by Me. Making movies is supposed to be a tough business too. I wonder which is tougher?

I had the edited-for-TV version of Stand by Me on a beta tape when I was little and probably watched it 47 times. I remember how shocked I was when I finally saw the un-edited version... Especially when he reaches in his underwear and pulls out that huge leech.

Sausage Fest

2006-03-21T19:40:00.000-06:00

My weekends in San Francisco keep getting weirder.... Last Sunday I helped my brother make sausage from a whole pig he bought. Tony, his wife, and his cooking club friends did most of the work, but I mixed up some sausage starter and ground some pork. I even got more familiar than I ever hoped I would with a cow bung.

Sorry for the gratutitous pictures, but my philosophy is that if you can eat it, you should be able to see it!

Then again, they have that saying about laws and sausage being the two things you never want to see made.... Well, now I've seen them both...

I think I actually prefer the latter!

I Heart Feingold

2006-03-17T20:07:00.000-06:00

As many of you know, I was an intern for Russ Feingold back in the day.

It was one of my first political experiences and one I would lable one of the "cleanest." I mean clean in the sense that it didn't contribute to the muddying of my idealism like so many other of my political experiences.

I went into the internship believing in him and left even more impressed. I was fired up enough to write an op-ed, published in the Capital Times in Wisconsin, complaining in a good way that his ethics are so strict he wouldn't even let his interns go to the fun capitol hill lobbyist receptions to dine on delicacies like free shrimp dinners and open bars (one of the only physical perks of being an unpaid intern).

I may not agree with all of his decisions (ascroft who?), but no one can deny the man has principles. He's also seriously smart. He actually reads all the bills before voting on them (yes, almost no Senators do--c'mon that's what staff are for). From being the only Senator to vote against the Patriot Act to giving his payraises back to help the national debt, he demonstrates that you can take some controversial stands and still be popular among your moderate constituency. Of course, that does come at the expense of his popularity on the Hill where old-school pols don't like that he doesn't play "the game"--righteous they call him. But who really cares at this point? Does it really sound that fun or important to be buddies with the likes of this House and Senate minority leadership? I'd almost rather hang out with Ken Mehlman.

So now, here he is, in the vain of fighting Bob La Follette before him, he's taking one for the team again by calling for a censure of this scary President. And of course his own party is giving him hell for it.

Thank You Sir.

It's nice to know there is at least one Democrat that isn't willing to roll over on his principles time and time again because of some paralizing fear that the Republican spin machine will knock a couple points off of your job approval rating... Or worse, that his own allies will do what the Dems do oh so well....circle the wagon and start shooting inwards.....

A Political First For Me

2006-03-13T18:17:00.000-06:00

For the first time in 6 years I actually agree with a controversial stand Bush has taken. Wow!

He's actually realized the implications of sanctioning French ownership of U.S. ports while blocking the bid from a moderate and modern Arab country.

Maybe he's finally realized that blatantly pissing off one of our last remaining Arab allies isn't the best idea when you are trying to slow the spread of extremism?

Then again, Bush spent the last five years disseminating propoganda and fear of Arabs for political gain. How did he expect the elected representatives of the American people to react to something like this?

You reap what you sow....

My Sunday Evening

2006-03-13T17:17:00.000-06:00

A quick photo-essay on how I spent my Sunday night.

Click here to read the narrated version from my roommate Leina's perspective.... written by my brother....who was also my co-plumber. Don't ask me to explain....

What's Next? Gandhi the Game?

2006-03-08T16:09:00.000-06:00

One of the cool things about my job is we find out about all sorts of interesting initiatives going on out there. Thought this one was particularly creative... Click here for the website....

Can a computer game teach how to fight real-world adversaries—dictators, military occupiers and corrupt rulers, using methods that have succeeded in actual conflicts—not with laser rays or AK47s, but with non-military strategies and nonviolent weapons?

Such a game, A Force More Powerful (AFMP), is now available. A unique collaboration of experts on nonviolent conflict working with veteran game designers has developed a simulation game that teaches the strategy of nonviolent conflict. A dozen scenarios, inspired by recent history, include conflicts against dictators, occupiers, colonizers and corrupt regimes, as well as struggles to secure the political and human rights of ethnic and racial minorities and women.

A Force More Powerful is the first and only game to teach the waging of conflict using nonviolent methods. Destined for use by activists and leaders of nonviolent resistance and opposition movements, the game will also educate the media and general public on the potential of nonviolent action and serve as a simulation tool for academic studies of nonviolent resistance.

Dima and Issam Got Engaged

2006-03-08T15:48:00.000-06:00

Just wanted to send a humungous congratulations to Dima and Issam (seen here in a file photo) on their recent engagement. I have to say I was really impressed with the romantic Valentines day engagement that tough-guy Issam pulled off. I wish them the best of luck and especially when it comes to planning a Jordanian wedding. They don't mess around over there. The last wedding I was at there they spent $40,000 on the flowers alone! Crazy Jordanians...

Hello America!

2006-03-03T19:34:00.000-06:00

Yes, I know I've been MIA. I've never been particularly good with transitions. But I figure I've been home for an entire month now and in San Francisco for almost 3 weeks now, so I can't use the excuse for much longer...

So far this transition is amazing!! San Francisco might just be the perfect city for me. It seems to combine the political activity of DC with the laid-back, un-pretentiousness of the midwest.

Plus, working at NPC is so inspiring. In this time of widespread political disillusionment and mud-slinging, I get to be a part of something completely positive.

Our mantra is that progressives have the talent, will, resources, and ideas to succeed, we all just need a little help getting our operation to match our vision. NPC helps provide the tools and resources that the organizations and entrepreneurs need to succeed. We also help progressive investors nagivate the complicated world of political giving. It all very exciting really and the response, from what I've seen, has been overwhelming.

And, I get to work in the coolest office. We are currently incubated by Skyline Public Works, a company founded by Andy and Deborah Rappaport that provides start-up support to a number of political and social initiatives. They have this bright office in Redwood City that even has a retractable roof that almost makes you feel like you are working outside when the sun is out and it is open (which has been admittedly not often lately due to a ton of rain).

Speaking of no sun, before I make you all sick with my current enthusiasm for life, I should be honest about some of the challenges I've faced over the last 3 weeks. Let me list them quickly in order of annoyingness:

Trying to find an apartment that is in my price range, in a decent neighborhood, with parking and not too far from the freeway for my 40 minute commute to Redwood City. (I'm living with Tony and Erica's friend Leina right now in Glen Park--Thank you Leina!!)
The commute to Redwood City (yes, I could take caltrain but getting to caltrain adds another 20 minutes to an already annoying commute).
Finding a car in my price range that will hold up for the commute.
Overall feeling like like I stepped into some weird Dubai-like situation where I'm a guest worker in this city. Let's face it the average house costs $600,000 and I'm probably never going to be able to afford that at this rate. Makes you really like you can't get too comfortable here because your never able to call this place home. But I digress--I'm going save this diatribe for another time.
The rain and fog (noted last because at least they keep in green here and I just came back from a year in the desert).

Ah, but all these little annoyances are such a small price to pay for great mental health.

I used to talk so much smack to those folks who were so obsessed with CA, that they couldn't see going anywhere but there, but they may make a believer out of me yet...

A Few Updates

2006-01-17T02:51:00.000-06:00

1) My brother and his wife visited last week during the Eid holiday. We had a blast touring Jordan. Some highlights include: Their lunch at Haret Jdoudna in Madaba, Learning how to cook Mansaf at the Petra Kitchen cooking class in Wadi Musa, eating Zarb (goat cooked in an enclosed oven on the ground) with the Ammarin Bedouins in Beidha for Eid and hanging out at the cave bar in Petra (a bar build inside one of the nabatean ruins) drinking St. George's wine. Yes, many of our highlights involved ingestion of some sort?

2) The new website I've been working on for iJordan was finally launched! It only took six months from start to finish in inshala-ville and still needs some major work, but it's a nice achievement to part with: www.ijordan.org.

3) I only have 2 weeks and 2 days left in Jordan.... Crazy.

Maa' Salama

2006-01-04T09:03:00.000-06:00

I'm making it official. Las week I gave my one month notice from iJordan and Jordan. In a few weeks now I'll be packing my bags and saying goodbye to the Middle East most likely forever.

It's freaky really. Much different from leaving D.C. from which I know I'll likely return to at some point. I am leaving Jordan to go back halfway across the world. Of course, I hope to come back someday perhaps to show my children but it's not likely I'll be splurging on a $1,000 ticket anytime soon.

I'm very sad. I admit that I love it here. So why am I leaving? I guess it's just time to go home. After a year of being here I still feel like I'm on vacation. Even though I have a good job, great friends, and the best boyfriend who I'm going to miss like crazy until he joins me on the west coast soon inshala, I miss my career path, my lifestyle, and my family.

The main reason I'm leaving is that I've found a great new job. After all the smack I've talked, I'm going full throttle back into progressive politics. I'll be starting as the Membership Director for the New Progressive Coalition (NPC) on February 13 in San Francisco.

NPC is an amazing new organization that brings together progressive entrepreneurs and organizations with political investors to help strengthen the Democratic Infrastructure and harness the left's potential. It's the brainchild of my former boss at NDN, mentor and friend Kirstin Falk and I'm so happy to be working with her again. I'm even more excited because in simple terms I will be helping good progressives to organize and get their act together, which is a cause I'm extremely passionate about.

So to all you Americans, watch out for me. Not to brag, but I'm feeling a bit more worldly. My eyes are open and I'm more fired up than ever. I'm ready to get back in the game and keep on fighting the good fight, even if I'm more confused than ever about what the good fight is. I'm also ready to live in beautiful San Francisco and have a normal salary again and not have to feel like a jerk for still not speaking good Arabic because it's sa'ab khatir and you try to speak to people bes culhom ba'aku englese back to you.

And to all you Jordanians, you have an amazing country. I'm really going to miss the laid back lifestyle, tough and passionate personalities, and a daily surprises from a country so rich with variety. You have a permanent new embassador who will tell everyone that they should come here at least once to visit Petra and Wadi Rum and spend time to get to know the real Arabic culture not just the propoganda fed to us by our fear-inducing administration. I will never forget my time here and how much I've learned.

Hubbly Bubbly

2006-01-03T09:11:00.000-06:00

My sister-in-law just sent me this picture of my brother and his christmas present. Boy, it sure looks like he is getting the most out of the the apple tobacco I sent him!

I'm proud of him for hooking that thing up himself but I did try my best to give him good instructions. Here they are. Let me know if you have any suggestions:

Instructions for setting up Argeelah (hubbly bubbly):

1) Start your coals in a outdoor grill, fireplace or even directly on the stove. Make sure you have tongs to fish them out when they are red hot.
2) Fill glass base with water up to the first line (or 2/3 the way full). Do not overfill.
3) Fit metal shaft back on base. Make sure it fits snugly and is airtight. Getting the rubber stopper wet and twisting it on works well.
4) Attach your mouthpiece chord to the metal opening near the base of the shaft.
5) Put on ash catcher on top of the metal shaft. The ceramic bowl will go on top of that.
6) Place a small amount of sticky, flavored tobacco in the bowl. You only need a pinch of it.
7) Get a square piece of aluminum foil and place it over the bowl. Wrap the foil around the bowl, as to make it airtight. Poke about 10 holes in the foil with a toothpick or needle
8) When your coals are red-hot place 1-3 small coals on the foil and press them down on them a little.
9) It should take you about 3-4 sucks to get a good pull from the hose.Smoke until coals look burned out and then add new coals.

My brother and his wife will be here to visit for a week starting Friday, so I'll make sure they have many opportunities to brush up on their hubbly technique.

Happy Holidays

2005-12-22T01:07:00.000-06:00

I've been trying really hard not to pay attention to the recent U.S. controversy over using saying Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas but it's really starting to irk me.

First of all, let's set the record straight, most of us say "happy holidays" because there is another important holiday during this period: New Years. We are celebrating the holiday season which runs as far back as Thanksgiving through Christmas and onto New Years (and for me the Italian holiday of Feast of the 3 Kings on January 6 and for others their own holiday traditions).

Second of all, there is not some grand conspiracy to eradicate Christmas. It is still completely in your face in the states (something I've really noticed this year by spending the holiday away).

Whether we take this season as a time to celebrate the birth of Christ or just spend good quality time with our families, Christmas is alive and well. Frankly, this controversy will do more to turn people off of Christmas than a little "Happy Holidays" greeting ever would.

I've got to give the Jordanians credit on this front. For an Islamic Country, they do Christmas with class. The whole country gets Christmas day off. All the supermarkets and hotels put up big, decorative christmas trees, and Christians go to church, have nice dinners and spend all day visiting different family members and drinking wine together. Even many non-Christians get into the spirit. For example, my office had a "holiday party" to celebrate the whole season and even played some Christmas tunes.

Let's not forget that the U.S. is a diverse country and that is something we should be proud of (it has certainly been a source of pride for me living over here). Just like the Arabs respect the Christians during their holiday, American Christians can respect that everyone does the holiday season a bit differently.

I don't even know why I have wasted my time giving this debate credibility, but it's clear that the tolerance of Xenophobic and Totalitarian ideas are thriving again under the banner of fear and it's scary to think about what has happens historically when this kind of thinking goes mainstream and largely unchallenged.

On Strike

2005-12-15T09:08:00.000-06:00

After being completely disillusioned after the 2004 election and having a rather extreme reaction (moving across the world) to my newfound cynicism towards all things political, I've found myself finally starting to engage again.

It reminds me of my turbulent relationship with Major League Baseball actually. Throughout my childhood I loved watching baseball, collecting baseball cards, going to the ballpark and I especially loved the Milwaukee Brewers. Don't laugh! Remember that at the time they had major All-Stars like Robin Yount, B.J. Surhoff and Paul Molitor. In 1992 the Brewers were 92-70!

But then the players went on strike for an entire year in 1994-1995 over salary caps! I mean c'mon now! Even the overpaid NFL players have salary caps. I was only 14 and to a young baseball fan this was a travesty. Then, of course, my team got progressively worse over the next few seasons and started losing its best players and I just got fed up I stopped caring about baseball altogether. Even my own successful little league career lapsed around that time.

However, after a few years of not caring about Baseball, I started to get over it. I began to enjoy going to the ballpark again. I went to a few White Sox games and Cubs games the summer I lived in Chicago. I went to a couple Orioles games while living in D.C. I even kept my loyalty to my home town team, the Brewers, and made it to a few games at their new stadium Miller Park.
But it's never been the same. Although I still love to play the game and be at the ballpark, my passion for America's game is gone.

In a nutshell, this is how I feel about politics right now. I'm sick of the players and completely disallusioned with my crappy team (the Democrats). Yet still, I feel loyal to the team I once knew and can't seem to get playing the game or being where the action is out of my system.

Ironically, I turned my back on baseball the same year I got turned onto politics . I was 14 when I met Sen. Bill Bradley and read his book Time Present, Time Past. From that time I knew that politics and current affairs would be my new passion. I'd certaintly found my new hard ball.

By the way, what I wanted to do was write this post on my thoughts about what Democrats should do to actually have a platform instead of simply bashing everything the Republicans do, but I got sidetracked with this long baseball analogy. I guess I'll wait until next post, it could be another long one...

FOOD

2005-12-06T11:03:00.000-06:00

I need some advice from some local culinary connoisseurs.

I think I'm a pretty adventurous eater. My first week in Jordan I posted excitedly about the Asafeer (little bite-size birds) I tasted at Fakhr El-Din.

But besides the occasional trip to Fakhr El-Din or Tenurine, I have done an exceptionally poor job exploring the regional restaurant scene in Amman. Especially for a self-proclaimed "foody."

I mostly blame myself, but my Jordanian friends and co-workers should also share some of the burden. At lunch, for example, beside an occasional delivery of schwarma, Sauge or falafel, they suggest Bruschetta, Urban Grille, KFC or even Dominos. If we go out to lunch or dinner, they may suggest Fakhr El Din, Huara or Tenurine (especially if we are entertaining foreign guests), but 90% of the time it's Romero's, La Cucina, Living Room, Red, Bistro One, vinaigrette, you get my drift...

But I also must admit, they have some amazing international food over here. Romero's, for example, blows any Italian restaurant in Wisconsin away. I fully enjoy my experiences there.

However, I'm starting to feel cheated out of my full Levantine experience.

So I'm appealing to all of you for some advice on where to find yummy, friendly, restaurants here in Amman. I'm looking for some tzaki Lebanese or Palestinian cuisine, maybe some decent mansaf. It could be hole-in-the wall or a fancy dining, just as long as it has good Arabic food.

Dubai

2005-11-27T04:02:00.000-06:00

Just got back from Dubai. My company sent us there to attend the JETEX (one of the largest airshows in the world). We are exploring the possibility of doing an aerobatic show in Jordan next year and I was also busy meeting potential sponsors for a variety of related events we have coming up in the next few months.

I'd never been to Dubai or an Air Show for that matter. I was very impressed by both.

The Air Show boasted a very impressive French aerobatic show, fly-bys from the top planes in the world including the new monstrous Airbus 380, and exhibition booths most of which probably cost more to build than my apartment did.

I was only there for 2 days/3 nights so I didn't get to see that much of Dubai, but from what I experienced, it was a very interesting place. The first thing that I noticed was it is immaculately clean. Unlike Amman or Beirut there is absolutely no litter and no empty sand lots. It actually puts any U.S. major city to shame in terms of cleanliness. I was told they have an immigrant workforce of about 1 million (mostly Indians) who take care of the city. They also have strict fines for littering. For example, tossing a cigarette butt out of your car brings a fine of $50.

Dubai is very modern in general. They are always attempting to build things bigger and more creative than anywhere else in the world. They currently have the world's only 7-star hotel, a development complex built in the Ocean shaped like a Palm tree (see the picture to the right that I took from the airplane). They are working on one in the shape of the world. They are also building the world's tallest building, the world's largest shopping mall and a hotel with an indoor ski slope. They recently abandoned plans for building a hotel completely under the ocean because of pressure from environmentalists.

The people are interesting too. I've never witnessed such polarized cultures colliding. The locals dress very traditional. The men all wear white gowns and headresses, the women wear all black with decorated black veils. Almost all the locals are wealthy from acting as "sponsors" to foreign businesses. Meanwhile, the infrastructure and lifestyle there is modern. There are an abundance of Russian and other immigrants from all over. You see many women dressed in tube tops and mini skirts. Even at the airshow, there were so many locals, westerners and skimpily dressed women all hanging out together. It's quite a scene.

Our Trip

2005-11-20T05:30:00.000-06:00

Just got back to Amman today. Thailand was amazing. Our first few nights we stayed in touristy Phuket. We got some great $4/hour massages but for the most part it wasn't a very pleasant experience. It was loud and dirty and there was a disproportionate amount of old, big western men coupled with young, pretty Thai women. It just wasn't our scene.

So we packed up a day early and headed to Phi Phi Island where we discovered the paradise we were looking for. Lush green islands with white sand beaches surrounded crystal clear blue waters. While the infrastructure was still recovering from the Tsunami, the natural landscape was awash in beauty.

We went scuba diving 3 days during our trip but our best day was 60km off the coast of Phi Phi at the dive sites: Hin Daeng and Hin Muang. Our first dive we literally swam for 45 minutes with three 15-20ft manta rays swooping around us (check out the above picture to get a good idea of the scale of these monstrous, graceful rays--see the diver at the bottom).

The next dive, we saw the rays again, but we also saw a leopard shark, tons of giant moray eels, a huge school of barracudas and another large school of these giant batfish. It was truly astonishing. Both Shane and I agree these dives are must-dos for avid divers.

On Phi Phi we also did some other great dives and some good snorkeling around the island where they filmed the movie "The Beach" with Leonardo Di Caprio.

We didn't stay where the resorts were located at Tonsai Village, but rather up the beach at the northern most tip of Laem Tong. There was hardly anyone else there which was amazing and they had this romantic restaurant that served you on mats that were right on the sand. The only downside was that to go to an ATM, or buy anything you had to take a long tail boat a good 1/2 hour around the island.

We were supposed to go to Krabi, Thailand but decided to spend all of our time in Phi Phi, a decision neither of us regret at all. We had wanted to ride an elephant in Krabi, but once in paradise, we couldn't tear ourselves away.

We did spend the last day in Thailand in Bangkok, which we had been warned was not a very pretty city. While it seemed a step up from Cairo infrastructure-wise, it didn't have the attractions of the pyramids to make it worthwhile to spend any time in (other than gaining culturally). We half attempted to visit the Grand Palace but didn't go in after finding out the Temple of the Emerald Buddha was closed for an event. We did check out the local markets which were very interesting. Such a wild mix of sights and smells. My favorite part was when a group of teenage girls followed Shane for 3 blocks through the market to get his autograph.

We had an amazing trip but we also learned a lot about how to do the trip better. Unless you're into go-go bars, we'd recommend skipping Phuket. Also, don't bother with more than 1/2 a day in Bangkok unless you like wandering around strange markets for long periods of time (1/2 a day was enough for us). For divers, snorkelers and water people, we'd recommend doing Ko Phi Phi and then Ko Lak (which is right next to the famous dive sites in the Similan Islands). I also heard Ko Lanta is amazing.

We'd both go back in a heartbeat to Thailand. I admit to being fully jealous of our 23-27 year old dive instructors who lived on the island and just dove everyday while living the carefree beach -bum island life.

Friends

2005-11-20T04:39:00.000-06:00

The only pictures I've ever mass emailed around to all of you were the pictures from the crazy Bedouin Festival last July. I think it's time for some pictures from my every day life here in Jordan. Everyone in these pictures is Jordanian (except us of course):

A get together at the Living Room for Dima's Birthday

My iJordan bosses at our 5th Anniversary party (my company is one of the few women owned businesses in Jordan).

Hanging out with the ladies at Nigh for all you can eat Sushi night.

One of our favorite activities: bowling at the Kempinski hotel.

My Life

2005-11-12T09:32:00.000-06:00

I don't want to diminish the events of this week, but I would like to speak a little to my life in Jordan and what I perceive as the overall environment in which I live aside from the recent bombings. When I left to live in Jordan, many of my friends and family thought I was crazy. By the time I left for Jordan, I had heard so many stories and been warned so many times I too started to wonder if I was crazy. And understandably, the events of this week have only heightened these sentiments of my loved ones.

But when I moved over here, I started to realize the extent to which the U.S. administration propaganda of fear has penetrated our society at all levels--including the educated, liberal class that usually remains less duped. Once again, I do not want to downgrade the seriousness of these bombings around the world, but before judging a whole section of the world full of, for the most part, wonderful people with the same wants and needs as the rest of us, please remember the extent to which our Government has irrationally blinded us with fear on many issues to keep themselves in power.

Back to my personal experience, in the last two years I have lived in Washington, D.C. and Amman. I can tell you that without a doubt I feel safer on a daily basis in Amman then I ever did in D.C.

I couldn't find any hard crime data on Amman but I can tell you that they do not have problems with muggings, rapes, robberies or murders. I can walk alone as a woman at night and not fear for my safety. I take taxis everywhere and the men treat me with respect.

In Washington, D.C., I was scared to walk home alone at night. A waiter was shot in the head and killed in my upscale neighborhood of Dupont when he didn't hand over his wallet to a band of armed robbers. A year before I moved there an airplane was driven into the Pentagon building. I worried on a regular basis about my metro ride to Union Station at rush hour. I saw intense poverty and racism. I see this same scenerio all over the world. Over the last few years there have been bombings in India, Indonesia, Turkey, Spain and London to name a few. I wonder if my friend Kathryn who is studying in London feels the same pressures to come home?

I'm still trying to figure out why my situation is so inherently more dangerous than hers? No, that's not true. I understand there are differences between London and Jordan. Yes, I now live in a rough neighborhood and it is admittedly a horrible time to be an American in the Middle East. But things should be put into perspective (a perspective that many cannot comprehend until they see it for themselves--mom, dad, how have your attitudes changed about my life after your visit here? I hope you will add some of your honest thoughts).

I have a nice life here with good friends who are much more educated on history, religion and politics than 99.9% of Americans. They are almost all Sunni Muslims and speak fervently of their religion as one that teaches only peace. Most also admit that their leaders must do much more to expel the myths blanketing the globe and covering all of them with a stigma that is difficult to shake off. Mostly, they feel more and more isolated as we continue to generalize about an entire generation of people who live in a region that has had to endure thousands of years of conflict but managed to persevere. Of course, I'm not trying to defend all Arab countries or the decisions of their leaders. Moreover, I have difficulties with the oppression of women justified through popular Islamic law. I am only asking that we not blanket a whole region as one of the same--or label the majority their citizens as terrorists. Check out some of the tourism sites on Jordan, and you'll see that it's considered relatively safe and beautiful. And Petra is a magical place you won't want to miss.

Checking In

2005-11-11T12:15:00.000-06:00

These are sad and frusterating times...

Thank you all for your concern and compassion.

We are both fine. The bombings happened around 9:30pm as Shane and I were packing up to head to the airport for a midnight flight to Bangkok. We didn't hear the blasts but heard the sirens as they came whizzing by our apartment to the Radisson SAS hotel 1/4 a mile away and the Grand Hyatt Amman less than 1/2 a mile away. We caught the only flight that left Amman that evening, and arrived safely in Thailand 10 hours later.

We are both shaken up and sad for the country that we have come to call home. We mourn for all the wonderful people we know who have been affected by this tragedy.

Shane and I trying to enjoy Thailand, and then will decide what to do next. While we recognize we we must be concerned for our own safety (we are both in hotels and public places often for work), we are also determined not give the terrorists too much credit. Unfortunately, no big city right now here or in the U.S. is completely safe. We must all keep living our lives. Living in the Middle East with people that have dealt with much turmoil in the past and present, I have learned that if we afraid and isolate ourselves, or our minds, then we let the terrorists win.

Thailand

2005-11-09T02:55:00.000-06:00

By the way, we head off to Thailand tonight. We are heading to the capital Bangkok for a day, then to beach towns Phuket for 3 days and the Krabi for 3 days. We got our Advanced Scuba Diving License last weekend so we can take advantage of the cavern diving and other amazing dive sites in Thailand. That, and we want to ride Elephants, and get a $5 hour massage every day. I can't wait. I'm also interested to see how they have recovered from the Tsunami which struck Krabi and Phuket rather hard.

Extremism

2005-11-09T02:34:00.000-06:00

I just read a great book about religious extremists who condone polygamy and marrying their 14 year old step daughters and receive "removal revelations" that lead to the murder.

No, I'm not talking about extremist Islam, the current favorite fear inducer, I'm talking about fundamentalists from the fastest growing religion in the Western Hemisphere: Mormonism.

I just finished the book "Under the Banner of Heaven" by John Krakauer. He writes a stimulating narrative exposing the underbelly of extremist mormonism in the U.S. I really recommend this book. We are so quick to cast stones outside our borders, meanwhile, these fundamentalist Mormon sects across the U.S. are receiving millions in Government aid (their polygamous wives are not legally married and hence considered single moms) and raping hundreds of little girls every year. And that is just the beginning. Read this book and it will make you angry.

All Hallows Eve

2005-10-31T03:40:00.000-06:00

I love halloween.

I once put together a great Marge Simpson costume from scratch and won the high school costume contest (think big, blue, paper-mache hair, yellow body paint and a lime green wrap dress). On lazier years, I put on my dad's beekeeper gear (my parents until recently had a hive in the back yard), or would wrap myself completely in duct tape for the easy "role of duct tape" costume (which looks great but is really hard to get off and don't even try to go to the bathroom).

I'm so into halloween that I even had a halloween "kidnapping" party this weekend where we blindfolded a car full of guys and took them to a room full of candy, orange and black baloons and the monster mash. It was small and halloween supplies were scarce but we had a blast.

But a co-worker asked me to explain to him the history of halloween this morning, and I'm embarrassed to say, I was baffled. I know it used to be called All Hallows Eve and that they believed the dead came to life on that day with the living, but that's about all I know. Kind of sad really.

Well, thanks to the internet, I found a great description on the history channel page. And I guess the history is interesting. It involves celtics and animal sacrifices and bonfires, so that's neat.

But to me halloween is special not because of the history or significance, but just because you can dress up like someone else for a day and do crazy things you could never get away with on any other day (like drive around with a car full of blindfolded guys in the Middle East!!)... Just being honest. And the Monster mash and Werewolves of London are great songs that sound stupid on any other day.

Bill Gates

2005-10-29T06:33:00.000-05:00

My company organized an event last week for Bill Gates, who came into town briefly to promote Microsoft-Jordan and the technology initiatives the King has been working on for the last few years. The event was nice and Bill Gates was not bad. He gave a 12 minute rah-rah speech about what the technology of the future was going to look like, and how he was happy that Jordan understood the importance of technology in the global marketplace.

But what I thought was the most interesting aspect of the event was the fact that it was held at 4:30pm on a day in Ramadan. So the audience, who hadn't eaten or drank a thing the entire day, was forced to sit through 45 minutes of speeches before they could eat. The problem was that they had to sit there with a full spread set before them on the table. Plates of food and glasses of juice and water tempted them through the entire event. They couldn't break their fast until 5:20pm, iftar time. Much more interesting than Bill Gates' speech was watching these folks being literally tortured by the spread before them and thinking there was no way they could pay attention to the Minister of Technology even Bill Gates. I hadn't eaten since breakfast and I was starving. It was all a very impressive test of will.

Krugman

2005-10-16T07:00:00.000-05:00

I want to first thank Hatem for commenting on my previous post on what he sees as my poor choices for favorite columnists that I had listed on my index (Paul Krugman and Molly Ivins). He reminded me that I have been meaning to remove Krugman from my list of favorite columnists.

I removed Krugman, but then it was just Ivins all alone, and I thought about adding some others like Joe Conason, Nat Hentoff or Anna Quindlen, but none of them had permanent pages that I know of, so I just decided to delete my "favorite columnist" index all together.

But don't get too excited Hatem, I didn't delete Krugman for any political reason...

I am unjustifiably very angry at the New York Times right now. Their new "Times Select" service now obliges me to pay an annual fee in order to read all my favorite daily columnists, from Friedman and Dowd to yes, Krugman.

So what if they are asking for a piddly $49.95 a year? Do I pay five times that to maintain my daily coffee habit? Of course. So why balk at $0.14 a day to read quality prose from my favorite columnists? I don't really know. But it just irks me. I just can't bring myself to pay for something I've enjoyed free for years. And I feel like if I sell out, then I am sending them a message that their little "foot in the door" scheme worked. I can't possibly be a contributor to the slippery slope that is the decline of the free dissemination of ideas and information. Or can I? Meanwhile, I'm just sulking here and missing hours of therapeutic reading. Firewalled from enthralling titles like "Miserable by design" and "A Pig in a Jacket."

I wonder what Krugman thinks? Does he empathize with my dilemma? I sure wish he'd write an editorial. He could use his economics background to make sense of all this. But then again, I wouldn't be able to read it anyhow.... Let's face it, I'll probably start subscribing to "Times Select" next month... But either way, Mr. Krugman won't be going back on my index bar, at least for the time being.

Fasting

2005-10-11T04:56:00.000-05:00

I have to admit, I'm really impressed by the Ramadan fasting.

At the risk of sounding culturally insensitive, I guess I didn't really believe that a culture where 15 minutes means an hour, "God Willing" means "probably not" and smoking in elevators is still common practice, would really be strict enough to refrain from eating, drinking or smoking anything from 4:20 am to 5:20 pm every day for an entire month.

But almost everyone does it and they do it with notably little complaining.

True, the entire country gets a little grouchy around 1:00 pm (you don't want to have business meetings after noon) and the traffic is a nightmare (I've been walking a mile home from work rather than risk life and limb in a taxi). However, everyone still works (until 3-3:30 pm) and still lives pretty normal lives. And best of all, they have great parties and feasts every night for Iftar.

So I tried fasting yesterday. I didn't think it would be too arduous since I haven't been eating much anyway during the day (as it is common courtesy not to eat, drink or smoke in front of people during Ramadan and it's actually illegal to eat/smoke in public).

Anyhow, I did really well with my fasting until noon when I realized I had a big meeting with a potential sponsor in an hour and an enormous, pounding caffeine withdrawal headache. I tried to work through it, but with no food or water to compensate, I caved and drank a Nescafe. Instead of conceding defeat, I chalked it up to a professional necessity. Trust me, asking companies for money is bad enough without having a pounding headache to contend with.

My point is that fasting all day is not easy for 1 day let alone an entire month. I'm impressed how committed these people are to their God and also to a purification that they say allows them to feel cleansed and healthier and also helps them better emphathize with those less fortunate then they are.

I personally like the fact that our work day is short, I don't come home from work smelling like second-hand smoke, and I have great parties at night to attend. I feel kind of bad though, that I get all gain no pain. Maybe I'll try fasting again tomorrow...

Amy & Carson

2005-10-05T04:18:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to share a gorgeous picture from my friend Amy's wedding. It was actually back in July and I was very sad not to have been able to make it. It looks like they did okay without me though;o). Amy is my first close friend to get married and I couldn't be happier for her. Although we spent many happy times searching for the best happy hours in DC: scouting the cheapest miller lites (still $4) and if we were really lucky $0.25 buffalo wings, I don't lament the end of that phase and the beginning of this new one-- for both of us really. Congratulations Amy or as they say here Mabrouq!

Parents

2005-10-02T10:19:00.000-05:00

It's been a week since I posted. My parents are here and we just got back from a whirlwind tour of Jordan. It was really amazing but I have to admit I'm exhausted. I'll write more later on our adventures. By the way, my new dream is to re-write the Jordan Lonely Planet Guide Book. The current one really does not do this country justice. More on that later though... Here's a quick picture of the Sturvoni folks in Petra.

Maqluba

2005-09-22T05:20:00.000-05:00

My co-worker Lana invited me to her house for lunch on my birthday for a traditional Palestinian meal (reminder that around 60% of Jordanians are Palestinian). The dish, Maqluba, was ridiculously good. With a decent appreciation for culinary niceties, I feel the need to share the only English recipe I could find with all of you. This version seems simple enough to prepare but doesn't contain the chickpeas that you see here. I guess the word "Maqluba" is Arabic for "upside down" since the dish is prepared in a pan and then flipped over and served. It features rice, potatoes, lamb, eggplant and tomatoes. Yum!

Quarter Life Crisis

2005-09-21T02:33:00.000-05:00

I turned 25 yesterday.

I consider myself a pretty stable person but I have to admit I am a little distraught. This age is a time of so many paradoxes where many of your wants and needs are literally mutually exclusive:

Balancing your desire to travel with your desire to have a stable career path...

Intense desire to be with someone who provides you with love and affection and yet desperately wanting to maintain your independence...

Feeling like you have achieved a lot over the past 25 years and yet not having a clear idea about what you want to achieve over the next 25 (too many choices!)...

Knowing a lot about what you don't want but not much at all about what you really want...

Realizing you are no longer young to be married and have kids and yet feeling less financially stable and more selfish than you ever have...

Feeling so much wiser than you felt in college to the ways of the world and yet feeling like you don't really know much about anything...

And these just to name a few. I hope my friends will add some of their thoughts in the comments.

Let's face it, at 25, you are no longer the precocious achiever you once were. In fact, half your office is younger than you and seemingly smarter than you!

But I don't want to get too gloomy here.

There are some positives to being 25 too.

I mean come on, getting to 25 and not being totally screwed up is a big feat and something to be very proud of!

And of course, you get to rent a car without spending an extra $15 per/day.

Beirut

2005-09-11T05:58:00.000-05:00

On a whim, Shane and I traveled to Beirut this weekend. Our Jordanian friends rave about the Beirut party scene, the beaches and the pretty people, but not much else. But since our friends Dima and Issam were heading there for a wedding, we had a good excuse to check it out for ourselves.

Honestly, Beirut was a lot more modern than we expected. You can see why they call it the Paris of the Middle East. Unlike Amman, it is very lush and green. They say in the winter you can snow ski in the mountains and swim in the Mediterranean all in the course of one day. Besides their driving, things seem very calm there. Despite the recent attacks, I'd say the military presence there is no larger than in Amman.

So while I can't say we managed to check out the famous party scene (I guess we're getting too old) there was actually a lot to do there! We took a boat into a magnificent cave called the Jeita Grotto on top of a mountain. We rode a gondola from the ocean to the tallest mountain overlooking the Beirut coastline. We also visited Byblos, perhaps the longest continuously inhabited city in the world dating back some 7,000 years. And unlike the swarming temples in Egypt, there was nobody there except for us (the city was built by the Phoenicians but actually partly constructed with granite from Aswan, Egypt).

The people we met in Beirut were very friendly. We went out to dinner with our Jordanian friends Dima and Issam and their Lebanese friends Roy and Elias. The Lebanese guys were great. They told off color jokes and crazy stories of partying all night and my favorite story involved them accidentally using a landmine field for a pit stop. As funny as they were, they were also pretty fatalistic about the prospects for an all out war there in the coming months. They were both Christian. They claimed that while 5 years ago 50% of Lebanon was Christian, more recently it had receded to around 15% (although the CIA factbook still puts it at 39%). One thing that is abundantly clear from being in Beirut: religion is really important. There were churches and Christian symbols everywhere. The neighborhoods were all divided up by religion.

To make a long story shorter, there was a lot going on in Lebanon in terms of religion, politics, culture and history. We sure learned a ton in just two days but I felt like I'd need a few more weeks there and/or some serious reading to get a grasp on what made Lebanon seem so different. It just felt like such a rich place and quite a curious melting pot. From the French to the Phoenicians, to the Syrians and the Palestians--it sure has a fascinating history for a place with half the population of Wisconsin.

Here's a few pictures from this weekend:

We took a gondola to the top of a mountain that had a great view of Beirut.

The ancient Phoenician city of Byblos.

Religious symbols were everywhere.

The Jeita Grotto (I admit I pulled this picture off their website but they didn't let you take pictures in the cave darn them!)

Aint It the Truth

2005-09-11T03:11:00.000-05:00

(Thanks to Nada for forwarding this)

Thank You Ocean Creep

2005-09-06T07:43:00.000-05:00

The other day I looked back through some comments and discovered that someone had posted a trackback" on my post about the Jordanian Timesheet. I have to be honest, I didn't even know what a trackback was until this guy "Ocean Creep" posted one. Basically, I discovered that it is a link to his blogpost that is relevant to my blogpost. How cool!

Even though I guess I am technically a "blogger" I have to confess I am extremely technologically inept. It took me a year just to figure out how to post pictures. I know absolutely nothing about HTML except how to cut and paste.

So it also took me 5 months of living and posting here to discover that there is a thriving existing blogger community in Jordan. The community is underscored by a communal website called Jordan Planet that even lists some expat blogs from people like me who are writing about their experiences here (I have listed a few of them on my index).

As I write now I just checked back to the Jordan Planet Website and saw my blog was linked as a "Jordan Planet Friend!" Go Schiavoni files. Though I have to now admit that it was not a coincidence as I enquired a couple days ago about how to get added to that list;o).

So they had an article on the blogging community in this magazine called JO.

By the way, this is a cool magazine. Check out the front cover:

I think browsing the content of the cover teasers really helps give one a sense of the overt clash in Jordan between old and new, modern and antique, western and traditional.

Just read the first two teasers: "Mind Your Step - Will Jordan Be Landmine Free by 2009?" followed by "Talking to Strangers - Jordanian Bloggers Make Themselves Heard." Interesting juxtoposition huh?

That's one of the thing I really dig about this place. Similar to the U.S., it's a very interesting melting pot over here. You see and hear a little bit of everything on a daily basis and I find myself continually surprised. Kind of like finding out that Jordan has an active blogging community... and that they still have over 250,000 landmines to clear from Jordan before their 2009 deadline.

What is going on over there????

2005-09-04T09:24:00.000-05:00

Literally, we are all just stunned here to see the land of freedom and opportunity turned into a cespool of death and destruction for its most vulnerable citizens. I know that much has been written over the past few days on how incredulous the government's response to the crisis has been. However, I feel compelled to add my voice as a sort of therapy to myself. Because man I am feeling angry right now.

I am mostly angry that it has to take our own citizens being left to rot in the streets for the press and half this country to realize that the current administration is taking us back to being a developing country. Let's look at the facts: widespread corruption and deception, crazy pre-emptive war, 40 million people uninsured, and now massive famine and a refugee problem.

I am also embarrassed. Mostly, I'm embarrassed because I have to witness the world's reaction to our disaster. And people here honestly had no idea that the world's richest country has so many people that are so dirt poor. It's as if the water rushed in and our hidden poverty and race problems couldn't help but float to the top for all the world to see. (Sorry for the crude analogy but it seemed fitting.)

But please, let's let the administration keep cutting the social programs that FDR and others put in place to provide our citizens with basic humanity in favor of tax cuts to the rich.

So apparently almost everyone is appalled by the Government's response to the crisis. But then there are some people that are giving the Government the benefit of the doubt and saying that the lack of action was not because of race but because of socioeconomic status.

What a joke.

Yes, I'm sure class was the determining factor of whether people evacuated to safe areas, but you can't fool us into thinking the Government wouldn't have reacted much, much faster to scenes of sick white babies and white couples waving flags off the roof. I was personally disgusted to see reporters pan an entire scene of suffering African Americans over and over just to single out the one little white boy or a young white women in the crowd and reflect specifically on their misery.

We have seen this phenomenon many times before. It's the same reason American's empathized so strongly with the pretty white Bosnian victims and ignored the slaughter of Rwandans. It's also a contributing factor to why the story of 1,000 innocent people being trampled to death in Baghdad wasn't even front page news. It's time to acknowledge that this tragic bias exists and to figure out a way to make sure it never rears its ugly head again at least our own soil (and ideally the world but let's be realistic here).

Make no mistake, the entire world is glued to this crisis in the U.S. Even the channels that seem to purposely avoid reporting on the U.S. are showing this crisis round the clock. Why? Well, someone poignantly remarked how humbling it was to see the world's superpower humbled. That probably has a lot to do with it.

I was personally very humbled to see nations affected by the Tsunami offering to send the U.S. disaster relief.... and admittedly amused to see Cuba's offer of aid. The only teeny weeny silver lining in this great big cloud is that Karl Rove's master plan to finally win over the African American vote may be set back a few years. Did I just write that?! On a serious note, my heart goes out to all the people that have suffered so much. I can't imagine what it must be like to lose everything you have in one night. I hope as the richest country in the world, we can figure out a way to help all these people pick up and move on.

Inch by Inch, Row by Row

2005-08-30T09:39:00.002-05:00

In celebration of living in my first-ever arid climate, I decided to plant a winter garden. But after hoeing and raking furiously for two days, mulching like the dickens, and picking out buckets of rocks and cigarette butts, I honestly thought my chances for green were pipe dreams.

But I did not despair. With a little love and a little sweet tenderness, I started noticing sprouts after a few days. Lettuce was first, then beans, and slowly but surely the onions, radishes and spinach have followed suit.

With gardening (and OCD) in my genes, it should come as no surprised that I am obsessed with my new little garden. I go home for lunch every day now, to count my new Jordanian sprouts, water them tenderly, and see if I can catch a new one poking through the soil.

I guess some couples get a dog or maybe a cat when they start getting into family-mode, but Shane and I have bean plants.

I named that first one Frank, the second one is Barney.

Did I mention it's tiny?? But I love it anyways.

Mid-West Goes International

2005-08-30T09:39:00.000-05:00

Here's a sight I thought I'd never see:

Yep, that's a Michigan license plate on the back of that limo that is parked at a random building in Amman, Jordan.

Win-Win Decision

2005-08-25T09:50:00.000-05:00

We have ten days to travel in mid-November and are torn between two trips:

Thailand vs. Turkey & Cyprus

The Temple of the Emerald Buddha vs. Cappadocia

Anyone have any advice for us?

Did I mention I am spoiled?

Texas Wedding?!

2005-08-14T09:54:00.000-05:00

Speaking of different worlds, how many times in life do you get to go to a wedding in Texas where there is a red, white and blue donkey on the wedding cake??

One of Shane's best buddies Shane Sklar is running for an open seat in Congress (14th District - swing district and Shane has no primary) and though for the most part he kept his race completely separate from his wedding last week, I was proud to see this bold move on the wedding cake. Now, that's funny, I don't care who you are!

Shane, his cousin Gabe and the groom/candidate.

www.shanesklar.com

By Bedouins For Bedouins

2005-08-11T04:14:00.000-05:00

Shane and I just got back from a two week whirlwind in the states for a Schiavoni family reunion in Ohio and a wedding in Texas. They were both cultural experiences in themselves but the event I can't wait to highlight here happened the weekend before we left and will be forever etched in my memory as one of the most unique weekends I have ever had.

My company worked with the Ammarin Bedouin Tribe to put on the first festival by bedouins for bedouins in Beidha, a town 10km north of Petra. It was an amazing event that attracted 1,000 bedouins to a Thursday night concert and 3,000 bedouins to horse and camel races the following day. It was an amazing experience. I spent three days hanging out with the bedouins, using my nominal Arabic to help set up for the event. Besides a few fights that broke out between members of clashing bedouin tribes, the event was a grandiose success. Check out the pictures below. Need I say more??

The Setting

The Audience

The Concert

The Entertainment

The Horse Races

The Camel Races (fyi: camels are really clumsy)

The Winner

The Crowd

The People

The Children

(Thanks to reporters Khaldoun and Ayman for some of these pictures)

The Jordanian Time Sheet

2005-07-13T05:53:00.000-05:00

Jordanians just seem to do everything late. I've been here for four months now and still can't seem to assimilate to their schedule:

1) They Get Up Late. Most people stroll into work between 9:30 - 10:00 am. On weekends the streets are literally empty until well after 11 am. And if we happen to make it to the gym before work our usually buzzing facility is absolutely empty -- contrary to the states where morning workouts are considered peak hours.

2) They Eat Late. They don't eat breakfast and then they literally drink coffee and smoke until around 3-4pm when they eat lunch. No snacking! Dinner starts at 9:30pm at the earliest.

3) They Go Out Late. Everyone gets home from work at about 6-7pm. They rest until about 10pm when they head out. They don't come home any earlier than 1am and 4am is standard. They literally do this 4-5 times a week. The weekend is Friday and Saturday but for some reason the party nights are Monday and Thursday.

4) and of course, They Are Never On Time. I can't tell you how many times we have been 15-30 minutes late for events and been the first people there. It never fails.

Except for number one, I am totally at odds with this new structure of life. And my failure to adjust to these basic rules has really affected my ability to form functioning relationships here in Jordan.

For starters, I have to eat by at least 1pm. I tried eating breakfast so I wouldn't get so hungry but found I get even hungrier. So I eat lunch by 1pm period. Then by 4pm when the rest of the office is eating, I am the anti-social foreigner that's not eating with them. Or if I do eat with them, I end up eating two lunches for the day. Not Good either way.

When it comes to the social scene, I am even more of a loser. But I'm 24, I am out of college, and I just refuse go out until 4am anymore and be at work by 9am. Not gonna do it no matter how much I believe the "when in Rome.." theory. Even straight out of college when I was in DC, my main source of social interactions were happy hours where you could eat and drink starting at 7pm and be home by 10pm. Perfect.

Actually, I'm trying to get a happy hour scene started in Amman. So far I think I have converted no one and just made the waiters here mad with my attempts since it cuts their prep time/card playing/smoking break way to short.

Plus, I find that happy hours aren't as fun when you are the only people in the entire place. You might as well be sitting at home, on your porch, sipping beers and smoking cigars for less than half the price....

Which, not coincidentally, is what we mainly end up doing when we feel like having fun.... So much for taking advantage of unique social and cultural experiences....

International Cats

2005-07-06T02:42:00.000-05:00

I figured I better replace that surly lecturing picture of me below with this adorable picture of a "Jordanian Cat" that has been emailed around the office a few times. Man, I need to get some more content for my posts. I must be in a rut.

After I got the forward with the Jordanian cat, I got this forward of the "Lebanese Cat" which is considerably less cute and honestly I really didn't get the joke at first. But then I remembered that the Lebanese are known as the Los Angeles/Miami Beach type of the Middle East. Strange huh? When I think partying and Plastic Surgery I don't really think Beirut. However, I've heard numerous times that the Lebanese are party animals that live life like there is no tomorrow. Probably why I like Jordan so much. I relate a lot more to that cat above than this scary looking love muffin feline below.

Not Much Has Changed I Guess

2005-06-30T01:58:00.000-05:00

Because I admit it's pompous enough to have my own blog and expect that some people actually like to read my posts, I normally have enough humility to at least refrain from posting pictures of myself on this thing.

But I had to make an exception for this picture below. All modesty aside, this is a classic Schiavoni pose:

The history behind the captured moment is Shane and I sitting at this posh, grill-your-own seafood restaurant at the Dead Sea, apron on, white wine in one hand, chastising one of Shane's co-workers about something, the poor guy. It's probably me having a one-sided lecture session about Bush or the state of the world, but whatever it is, I'm clearly feeling passionate about it. Just thought the Lizzies, Emilys and Kirstins of the world would get a kick out of this one.

Emilia in Italia

2005-06-22T10:24:00.000-05:00

My friend Emily and her Italian-American man Mark are in my favorite place in the world right now: Italia. And since I have come to grips with the fact that my blog is nothing more than a travel log right now, I wanted to post some beautiful pictures from their fabulous excursions. I am also posting an excerpt from their email update. I didn't ask them if I could do this, so hopefully they will forgive me quickly:

"We've been cultured in Roma, Assisi, and Florence now were on the beach soaking up the sun and swimming in the emerald green waters. We discovered the true way to see the Tuscan countryside, on two wheels. We rented bicycles and peddled out into the hills stopping at the cutest B&B for a home cooked chianti feast including two jugs of vino (with 15 kilometers still to go). The next day we rented a scooter, and headed to the medieval town of San Giovanini."

I believe they are now in Marsala, Sicily staying with Mark's family. I sure am proud of Emily for hooking herself un ragazzo Italiano.

Perhaps my favorite place in all of the world, the Almalfi Coast (I think this is Positano).

A nice picture of the Roman Forum.

It seems like everyone who goes to Europe has to take at least one picture of the Smart Car.

Fiori of Italy

Star Academy

2005-06-20T06:45:00.001-05:00

On June 16th my company iJordan brought the Star Academy Tour Concert to Jordan. Star Academy is basically a cross between American Idol and the Real World. Eight aspiring stars from all over the Middle East live together in a house for a few months and put on concerts while being broadcast live out of Lebanon 24-hours a day on a satellite cable channel. This is actually the second season of the show and it has endured a lot of controversy (think single Middle Eastern women and men living together in the same house and it's not hard to figure out why there was controversy). They say many people of all ages are addicted to the channel but the main audience for the concerts (just like American Idol concerts) are teenage girls age 10-16.

So my company put on the production last week and it was really well done actually. It was in this huge theater with amazing sets and lighting. They also had about 10 incredibly talented backup dancers from the Ukraine (Shane and I personally thought they outperformed the stars).

A scene from Star Academy

Also, the cool thing about the concert is that we paired up with the Jordan River Foundation, an important charity in Jordan, to give part of the profits to their Child Abuse Prevention Program. We also provided tickets to the show worth $40 each and transportation for over 200 children from the Displaced Children Centers.

So there I was, running through the arena, navigating the hordes of teenage girls, my all-access iJordan pass dangling around my neck, trying to make sure sure Crest Toothpaste was happy with their sponsor booth and Leyalina Magazine bandanas were being properly distributed, when it dawned on me how completely random my life is right now.

If in 1998 when I graduated high school someone had come up to me and had me rank the likelyhood of 1000 options for my first five years out of college, the preceding scenario would have been maybe 992 on the list (and only that low if 8 options included criminal acts).

But I guess that is what makes this experience so fulfilling. That I have had to completely step out of my comfort zone to live in a random place and try to assimilate in a totally different culture for no real reason except the adventure of it.

Just as a side note--and talk about being out of my comfort zone--at the VIP reception, the winner of the show--this charismatic Saudi Arabian kid--found out I was American and starting telling me how he used to like going to Miami and New York on vacations, but after 9-11 he just didn't feel welcome in the states anymore. Hard to imagine Kelly Clarkson or any of the American Idol stars having similar concerns. It certainly is a different world over here.

Local Celebrities

2005-06-09T07:18:00.001-05:00

Jordan has quite a few of their own interesting magazines like this one called "Leyalina" (translated "Our Nights"):

In terms of print and design, Leyalina is comparable to any American glossy magazine. And though there are some other more substantial magazines here (such as Jordan Business Monthly and a great, thought provoking, English-language magazine called "Jo"), Leyalina barely has any articles. They usually lead with a photo shoot of a regional celebrity. Beyond that, practically the entire magazine is filled with photos of regular people (well, upper class regular people) at parties and weddings. Literally, it has pages and pages of posed people smiling at these random events. In fact, it is rare not to see magazine photographers at any decent sized party or event that you attend.

Can you tell who those dorky people are in this issue smiling for the camera?

Oh yeah, that's us.
We were sitting with the owner of the only golf club in town. High rollers ;o) But who could pass up belvedere Vodka tasting night at the Intercontinental Hotel? How snooty does that sound? Sure was fun though. Plus, I have a cool memento from my travels...