Mental Mayhem

News and views from the nation's capital

Archive for the ‘Everyday me!’ category

‘Where is equality?’

April 17th, 2008

Freedom House is running a new nationwide advertising campaign in Jordan that asks "Where is equality?"

The campaign, featured in popular magazines and television commercials, uses a long blue bar and a short pink bar to represent the rights afforded to men and women. Badges featuring the campaign’s logo encourage people to ask about the meaning.

The year-long campaign is part of Freedom House’s "Together Achieving Women’s Advancement in Services, Opportunities and Legal Rights" program.

Source: [Freedom House]

This is a highly needed initiative since, sadly enough, Jordanian women are still not treated equally when it comes to issues of inheritance, citizenship, and others. I admire the work of Freedom House, especially when it comes to highlighting the issue of press freedom violations around the world. However, I wish this campaign had been initiated on a local level, as I believe local campaigns have a higher impact on the general population.

2 comments »

Posted in Everyday me!

Good Friday or Sad Friday?

March 22nd, 2008

While I was having a discussion with Jeff about Good Friday this morning, I realized that Good Friday (which I believe is the Western term) is called "Sad Friday" or Aljoumaa Al Hazeeneh (الجمعة الحزينة) in Arabic. I have never noticed this before.

I guess Sad Friday makes more sense (to me at least), as it is the day of the crucifixion. But then again in the Christian faith it is the start of good things to come. This difference in cultural perspective is really intriguing, no?

Anyway, be it Good Friday or Sad Friday, Happy Easter everyone.

5 comments »

Posted in Everyday me!, Religion

Grabbing our piece of the American dream

December 18th, 2007

One of the reasons I’ve been quiet during the past few months is because the husband and I have been working hard to achieve this. Yes. We made it, finally. We are proud homeowners.

We are elated that after four years of marriage, we now own a house that we plan to keep for a while. While Jeff is already planning the design of his "TV room," where he can put all his toys to good use, I’m busy mapping out the dining room in anticipation of the many, many parties we plan to host.

If anyone has plans to visit the DC metro area anytime soon, remember that our house is always open. And yes, we finally have a guest room.

16 comments »

Posted in Everyday me!, Maryland Crabbiness

The simple joys of life

November 24th, 2007

A tall cold Hoegaarden After two months of constant stresses that left me with a white hair (see below), I’m starting to gradually relax. This, of course, might mean I’ll get back to blogging on a more regular basis, as my mind is clear and I’m ready to scribble again. This long Thanksgiving weekend is a special treat. It is being spent with family, which really is what makes life worthwhile.

It’s worth nothing that when I’m in a fine mood I start to open my eyes to the simple joys of life. I encountered one of those simple joys yesterday at none other than Costco as I came across a brand of beer I’ve been hunting for the past five years: the mouth-watering, thirst-quenching Belgian delicacy Hoegaarden. I was introduced to this top-notch beverage by my Spanish/British friend Pilar when I was living in London in 2002. We were at our usual after-school abode: The Bull, a typical London pub that was two blocks away from City University. She told me I should try Hoegaarden. I did and became an instant fan.

I have been desperately chasing Hoegaarden since 2002. I could not find it in the countries I lived in after my London stint. Hoegaarden was nowhere to be found either in Jordan or Qatar. I could not even find it in the United States until I found it a year ago in a Belgian pub in Philadelphia, but then it was nowhere to be found. Then yesterday, which marked Black Friday, we were at Costco of all places and came across a collection of Belgian beer that included Hoegaarden. I was overjoyed.

It is now almost 6pm on Saturday and I just got back from downtown DC, where I had marvelous lunch with sister Tania in Chinatown, followed by a tour of the International Spy Museum. As I write this, I’m really looking forward to the rest of the evening. We are planning to watch Running with Scissors (my sister and I both read the book and decided to watch the movie) while enjoying the festive taste of Hoegaarden. Ah, the simple joys of life. Cheers!

7 comments »

Posted in Everyday me!, Food and Drink, Mi Familia

Single white hair

November 11th, 2007

For the past few months, the husband and I have been doing a great deal of reading and research on how to achieve the ultimate American dream: buying our first house. Traveling this path has been both exciting and stressful. In the interim, I had to learn a whole new language: The language of the American real estate. This language includes terms like PMI, seller contribution, closing costs, interest-only, buyer’s agent, open house, appraisal and others.

I have been so stressed out about the whole process that I woke up yesterday and found one single white hair on my head. The last time I had a single white hair was four years ago when I was preparing for my wedding, which was followed by a new job in a new country. It goes without saying that the white hair has made me even more stressed out. In addition to thinking about the best way to pursue the American dream, I’m now thinking about aging and the deterioration of my own body. Sigh! If only life could be less stressful.

15 comments »

Posted in Everyday me!, Maryland Crabbiness

Am I in the wrong line of work?

November 1st, 2007

The latest projections of the US government rank being a journalist as one of the worst jobs for the 21st century, as newspapers cut costs and jobs. Some other of the "worst jobs for the 21st century" include textile workers, file clerks and electric meter-checking guys. But journalists will also have a hard time getting jobs, despite the increase in media outlets. According to the Labor Department, reporting positions are expected to grow by a mere 5% in the next decade, and most of these jobs are expected to be in small –- low-paying -– markets.
Source: [Editors Weblog]

I have always known that journalism didn’t pay well but I chose this line of work when I was young, motivated and did not care about such things. I hate to say it, but as you get into your thirties and start committing yourself to a number of financial responsibilities you realize that a good paying career does actually matter. All said and done, journalism as a career, is still evolving:

This projection is based on a relatively restrictive definition of journalists, which will probably evolve in the years to come.

Maybe, just maybe, there is still hope that I won’t live and die poor.

8 comments »

Posted in Everyday me!, Media watch

On my dearth of blogging

October 22nd, 2007

For some reason, I mentioned my blog this morning to the husband during our morning commute. His reaction was something along the lines of the following: people may have forgotten about you in the blogging world by now. Of course, he was referring to my sporadic blogging, which is becoming less and less by the day. I got defensive and started justifying the reasons why I’m not paying too much attention to this side of my life anymore. I went on and on, much to his chagrin, until I decided to change the topic.

As lame as it may sound, I have been really busy. Work is consuming most of my time and then there are after-hours activities. From Spanish class to creative writing classes, I have been swamped. There are also cultural activities and social obligations. I can’t keep track of anything. I’m writing lists and marking my calendar. I have even started using an on-line calendar, which sends reminders to my mobile phone! I’m not sure why I can’t keep up with anything anymore. Is this what being in your thirties is all about?

To de-stress, I have been riding my bike in the woods — an activity that merits a whole post perhaps sometime later this week. As a result, biking and other outdoor-related activities are consuming a big chunk of the little spare time I have, time that probably would have been dedicated to blogging. I will do my best to pay more attention to Mental Mayhem. I just need to regain a bit more control of my life, which has been moving at a crazy, yet enjoyable pace.

9 comments »

Posted in Everyday me!, Weblogs

Photo essay: “Welcome to Bear Country”

October 2nd, 2007

Probably one of the most memorable moments of this summer was when I saw the bear. This happened last weekend during our weekend camping adventure on Virginia’s Skyline Drive. The night before the sighting, the possibility of seeing a bear (a first in my lifetime) was the only thing on my mind. The reason for this was primarily because we were welcomed to our campground by a big sign that read simply: "Bear Country." I could not sleep much that night. I kept waking up in the middle of the night thinking about the possibility of a bear hovering outside our tent. Also, seeing the movie about a man being eaten by a bear just a week before did not help things.

The bear sighting occurred the next day around noon during the tail end of a five-mile hike (a hike that alone almost led to my demise). It was surreal. After taking a break, we were just starting down the trail again when we saw it. The bear was some 150 meters away from where we were standing. It was calmly drinking from a creek when my shouts interrupted its moment of peace. Hearing my cries, it raised its head to look at us. While I was busy shouting and cursing the day, the rest of the group were taking pictures. The bear looked up at the animated crowd and then just walked away. Just like that, the mammoth beast was nowhere to be found.

I have to say that although coming face-to-face with the bear gave me the scare of a lifetime, it was exhilarating. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

4 comments »

Posted in Everyday me!, Life as a Virginian, Shutterbug

American tradition: Backyard camping

September 11th, 2007

In preparation for our much anticipated camping trip up amongst the Blue Ridge Mountains on the Skyline Drive [pic] at the end of this month, the husband wanted to try out a brand new tent (one he’d bought years ago but never used) by camping out in the backyard at his parents’ house. He told me the idea and I liked it. So, last weekend, we brought our gear (two sleeping bags, two pads) and headed to the Shenandoah Valley, where we got the tent out of the attic and set it up in the backyard.

To increase the camping flavor of our adventure we decided to watch the documentary Grizzly Man while settling into the tent before we slept. It was fun, well except for the fact that the movie freaked me out a bit. It’s a real-life story about a man who gets eaten by a grizzly bear while camping in the wilds of Alaska. I’m pretty sure there are bears where we are going to camp but, according to the husband, they are "small bears" that you try to ignore if you ever run into them. Of course, this did not make me feel any better about the possibility of a bear attack, but I’m up for adventure.

I was also surprised when the husband told me that backyard camping is pretty common, often done by children seeking an escape from their parents’ house. Mom Tynes shared her backyard camping adventures from when she was young; she’d even craft a stove and cook! I had no idea. The American lifestyle never ceases to amaze me.

8 comments »

Posted in Everyday me!, Life as a Virginian

Hooked on ‘The Closer’

August 28th, 2007

Kyra Sedgwik is the closer Although I enjoy watching TV a great deal, my current life doesn’t leave me with enough time to do so. There are always things to do over the weekends and evenings such that I rarely turn on the TV to see what’s playing.

But Monday night is a special case. Every Monday night this summer I wait patiently for 9:00 PM so I can kick back and watch The Closer, a police investigation show that runs on TNT. What makes the show a viewing pleasure is not the plot or storyline per se. It is the amazing performance by Kyra Sedgwik. Playing the character of Deputy Chief Brenda Johnson, Sedgwik is "the closer," — the one who interviews suspects and closes cases by getting them to confess. She is entertaining, witty, sexy and just plain fun to watch.

Before watching the show, I’d never paid much attention to Sedgwik. I always thought of her as that woman who looks like Julia Roberts. I really had no idea she was that talented (nor that she is married to Kevin Bacon for that matter). I highly recommend this show to anyone looking for top-notch TV entertainment. Six more days before the next episode.