The Converse Arrived!

Our daughter has been checking out the Converse site with her friends since last summer. They have poured hours upon hours creating their dream shoe. They muse over the tongue color, the stitch color, the outside pattern, and even the color of the rubber soles, altering their ideal shoe every few days, until it is rendered perfect in their minds. Since this began, my husband and I have been receiving bi-weekly reports from our daughter on her latest Converse cyber creation.


For Christmas 2008, as did many families, we cut back on our budget. We decided to give one nice gift to the kids and only a few smaller ones to supplement.

There is no better time to lift our spirits by choosing the "nice" gift to be something that is a bit frivolous and yet intensely creative and personal.

For P's gift, we told her she could place the order for her dream shoe. The shoes arrived today. I could not have been happier with any other gift for her.

I grew up with three sisters. We did not have a lot of money and my parents struggled to do their best for us. I remember when all the cool girls wore A Smile pants and Famolari wedge shoes. I did get one pair of A Smiles. They were on clearance at Lamont's and last season's color. I was so grateful and happy.

We are a little better off than my parents were, but we still have to make tough choices with our money. The decision to spend way more on my daughter's shoes than I usually spend on myself, feels like a rectification. A good one.

When times are tough, it feels good to be a little impractical and whimsical. I know P is ecstatic with her gift and we are vicariously joyous. Check it.

At Last...

Today's ceremony was the first inauguration that I have watched. Ever.

As for all Americans, especially for those of us who are of a minority, today was a surreal dream that I am still trying to let sink in. Just like in those moments where we are in between dream-land and the real world, where reality is suspended and the sensations of the other side hang upon us like fairy dust, the swearing-in of Barack Obama as the President of the United States today has not quite crossed over in my mind from fancy to real life. Are we living in a world where "Brown can stick around?" It is hard to believe, but the answer is:

YES WE CAN!

Aretha Franklin brought me to tears, belting out a soulful and moving "My Country, 'Tis of Thee;" Reverend Lowery (who deeply reminded me of my late grandfather, a hard-working, dedicated family man, whose parents immigrated to America from Lebanon and were looked upon as the lowest of low) brought me to tears as he delivered a moving and dear benediction, invoking people of all colors to do the right thing; and of course, Barack Obama brought me to tears as he proclaimed, "The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness."

I wish I could have been with my children this morning, as they were in school, to emphasize to them the enormous bridge that our country has crossed. However, I am thankful that the meaning of this day resonated with them, regardless of my maternal reminders. At last, we are at a crossroads where we CAN choose our better history. We are at a place where my precocious and charming daughter, great granddaughter of many who struggled to reach this country for hope of a better life, can announce to me at breakfast, that she cannot wait to turn 35 so that she may run for president of the United States. To that statement, I could not hold back my tears, because I now realize that yes, she really can become the President of the United States, and that she can be correct in her conviction that this could become her reality.

With the words of Martin Luther King, who quoted an old spiritual in his "I Have a Dream" speech, "Free at last! free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last," I am inspired and shaken and moved that from hope, we spring forward to this new reality.

At last indeed...

Brilliant Reminder

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us most. We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and famous?’ Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that people won’t feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in all of us. And when we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

- Nelson Mandela

SAY IT!

This dope 'Speak n Spell' Daft Punk remix was created by my friend, Adam Freeland. While DJing at Coachella in 2008 in the dance-heavy Sahara tent, Adam dropped this track late in his set to a crowd of fans and followers of the Cult of F. Everyone enthusiastically chanted "oh-be-ay-em-ay" along with the robot-esque voice.

Dynamite duo, GOLD, directed the amazing stop motion video. GOLD consists of my cousin-in-law, Richard Farmer, and his business partner, Sinuhe Xavier. They are very close friends with Adam and were given an incredible opportunity to create this Daft Punk vs Freeland vs Obama visual dynamo just in time for the inauguration of Barack Obama.

BRILLIANT! I am so proud of them.

Go to http://www.greendotfilms.com/ and explore GOLD's other clever and witty productions.

After January 20th, 2009, we can all be proud to be American.

2009 Resolutions

So I have been mulling over the prospect of New Year's resolutions.

I have been going to a gym very regularly for the last 11 years and every January, the treadmills fill up, one has to wait for the weight machines, and the showers are all taken. Of course, by February, the population of gym rats is back to normal. I think making permanent, positive changes and habits must take a longer commitment than one month. Goals and resolutions we choose to strive for must not be borne out of emotions and reactions. They should be slowly considered while in a rational state of mind and then left to simmer, for at least several weeks. Perhaps they need to be revisited from time to time so we can test their "doneness" and adjust the ingredients if necessary. Like recipes, if one isn't working for you, change it up or just toss it and investigate a new one, then find the ones that you love and hone them to perfection.

We all feel bloated and overspent on January first! I am starting to believe that no one should attempt major life changes on this date. Ever.

In light of all this, I have been slowly building a list of goals, themes, ideas, and some specific tasks that I want my 2009 to encompass.

• continue love love love for my family and friends
• stay positive
• keep hope in the forefront
• have faith that things work out
• be grateful for all of my blessings, counting them from time to time
• be purposeful and give what I can to the moment
• drink lots of water
• meditate several times a week
• more dates with my husband
• re-connect with some people I have been missing
• set concrete career goals (will definitely have to be revisited!)
• clean out one closet, drawer, or section that collects odds & ends per week (hopefully this is not too ambitious)

As I review this list, I am seeing that most of these are not very specific. That is okay. Some are themes that I would like to carry through the year. I hope I come back to this and revise it, add to it and delete parts from time to time.

I did clear the clutter from underneath my bed today. I also went through my nightstand, cleaned that out, and shelved all the books that were stacked up underneath. All of the bedroom furniture got a thorough vacuuming beneath. Check!

Recipe: Sloppy Lentils

Vegan Sloppy Joe's
by Suzie

1 tablespoon canola oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
2-4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup tomato ketchup
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar or 2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 8oz can of tomato paste
7 cups water
2 cups dried lentils, rinsed


In a large 3 quart soup pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the chopped onions and peppers and saute until soft. Next add the garlic, oregano and salt. Continue sauteing until the garlic is fragrant. Next stir in the rest of the ingredients except the lentils. Turn the heat up to high and bring to a boil. Add the lentils, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the lentils are soft.


Serve on hamburger buns.
This is really yummy with sour cream or vegan sour cream on the bun with the lentils.