THIS IS AMERICA.

I feel for the people of Iran today. May democracy prevail and no more unnecessary blood be shed! I have met some cool Iranians in the U.S...Even without that, no citizens of any country deserve that political oppression.

Found ways to keep myself occupied all weekend with WoRLd diversity. Friday and Saturday were really fun because I hung out with people I met THAT week or that day. Oh, and if someone random stumbles upon this entry, I will say that this weekend is very ME and I somehow fall into situations like these often for someone living in the middle of Illinois. Weekend:

--Two Random Dudes pulled over to help fix my flat tire, then they took me out to dinner for some reason when i shouhld have been the one to treat them, and then we hung out til 2 am. One was from Sudan, one from Egypt, and at a nice Indian grill we joined tables with some Saudi girls who we eventually gave a ride home to in the pouring rainstorm. I hung out with my new friends (Serif and Mohammed) from 5 pm straight until 2 am with only a 20 minute stop at home. Felt at ease in their apartment and we taught each other a lot of new customs, I taught them a card game, and learned one of their social norms like don't pass what you're smoking after just one smoke. They gave me a generous goodie bag to take home in exchange for a chunky sweet portion of my great-grandma's coffee cake recipe. Oh yeah and we broke into their apartment complex with a crowbar when they both left without the key, one for cigarettes and one to meet me. Poor timing on the key thing but that crowbar came into use twice that evening.

--Saturday, after morning obligation, I hung all day from 1 pm til 2 am with a new friend studying here from India named Rekha. I just met her through one of those disappearing friends everyone has at a coffee shop last week, and after standing over their table for 45 minutes we exchanged numbers. I called her up Saturday afternoon and 30 minutes later we rode our bikes to the downtown for the "food fest." We got yummy food and iced tea to help cool us down on that sunny day. Then we sipped beer for 2 hours at the new Brewery that just opened up, sitting outside and watching cars and motorcycles pass through the downtown. I learned a lot about her; she just ended an ARRANGED MARRIAGE. We talked about other things like traveling and she invited me to come to INDIA with her next year! This is quite an opportunity and I think it'd be a fabulous next trip when I've earned some funds to justify it. Then, she cooked/reheated Indian food for dinner at her apartment and we walked/took the bus downtown Urbana for the Mhondoro concert.

--The Mhondoro show (Zimbabwean pop rhythm and dance music) was an absolute blast, as usual. It never fails to be a 100% good time and sweaty mess, everyone agreeing by show of dance with everyone there that this is good stuff here. This is a damn good local time if you're lucky enough to catch it, and when you show up, ya SHOW UP. Just DANCE. Damn...

--Cool sidenote: Was interesting when there were 3 people, incl. me, from my high school in that intimate crowd under 50, half the audience over 50, from 3 very very different social groups who would never probably be found in the same location if they didn't come from it. I had ONE class with each of them in high school, a calc class and senior English, and always thought that both were quite intriguing. Well, it was intriguing that each of us stumbled separately into that small Urbana world music and dance scene. Two of us danced our cabooties off together on the floor.

-- Then, 4 of us hitched a ride from the Tonyman and we re-situated to a bar in campustown  normally frequented by athletes, where my friends never went to, whereupon I got free drinks from the bartender, who is one of my student volunteers (...), and watched as 5 dudes did a synchronized dance through the bar to an anonymous new hip hop song as a conga line. I was unfamiliar with this song and dance but it was damn entertaining to watch em. We also witnessed a true black girl bootydance right in front of our table. I continued my own dance party with Rekha a bit and made amigos with 3 puertorriquenos new to the area after I invited them to join said dance party. They did, and I believe I gave one of them my number altho I have absolutely no idea of any of their names.

--Today (Sunday), I watched a lot of CNN and wasted time on the internet after sleeping a ridiculous amount from outdoor and dancing activities. I went on a high run but it was lowly endured and mediocrely enjoyed. I said Happy Father's Day to the best dad and wished a warm welcome to my sister who just returned from South Africa tonight. They were on the way to my family BBQ at my aunt's which I was planning to attend all of last week until Friday. I'm OK with that in the end.

Moral of this entry: Befriending international friends always opens up worlds of opportunity, fun, and life enrichment... 

Salaam and Shalom

go me

 Newses - slow news week, made the cover a few times.

I think my fish is trying to commit suicide. The first in my tank died yesterday and now this one is sticking his face into the rocks and being vertical. Not normal.

Caught up with many friends today!! Going bikin' to Urbana to attend a talk on PEAK OIL. Showin up for the green cause. GO!

runnin

mah shoes r too damn comfi fer me ta getta propr wrkout

SimDreams

Well, the JubJub's name is elola, there's tezee, too.

There's the mansion, the metropolis, the dizzying busy park to end all theme-parks.

Later on, I founded the precursor to ancient Rome.

I beat the high scores, I exceeded expectations with Empire.

I can re-visit those cities waiting for me, I can revive that family in the mansion, I can whirl around in my favorite rollercoaster 

I can go back in time, where it is all still living on

frozen in time with the last save, still able to be recovered

I can have that life back

those mindsets for me are like riding a bike.

But what good would it do 

to go back for round two...?

It don't hurt to play games some

s'long as it don't cut productivity none

the thing with life is

it can't be won

rarely can you save it as is and return to level one

you've got to keep on- keep on building

more levels, never done

each game was a step 

a building block 101

to dominate the matrix, high score your tetris, create your mini-metropolis

and with a click of your finger, a bite of the mouse

you make a world of imagination and can construct your dream house.

Humph - We play such a small part in person, wouldn't you say?

How we're just a pawn in the game, a small voice in the crowd, person 1234 with a # but no name?

Unless you realize somethings, and take it to the streets:

that maybe experience accumulated in masterminding these worlds

can truly apply to real life, where if you're actually making a difference, where it doesn't sound so lame?

It's hard and takes much patience, you can't speed up the pace of the game -

in fact Time gets a-hold of you, turns your control-prefs to shame.

Wind up the buttons, pull some of those knobs, get this one going

don't mess this one up, autosave need not apply

you're out in the open, exposed, you're living it, My!

Maybe it's a dream, living that Sim version of yourself

where you're still young, it's all in fun, and in game... This you say to yourself to get by.

summ'r anthems

bicycling is difficult, when you have a heavy shoulder bag that doesn't cross your body.

it made me fall

then one block later I laughed at how funny it all went down.

Zimbabwe pop music, you must make everybody so happy!

I made homemade mashed potatoes, caprese salad, and stove-top veggies with Tony

after a bike ride to the local Co-op grocery shop where we got our goodies

after drinking Corona and donuts at 4 in the afternoon in the sun

I'm listening to a reggae version of Like A Rolling Stone

http://www.myspace.com/thereggaecowboys

as I am gchatting with a dear dear friend, Anne, in Guatemala

what a lovely girl, used to work at that co-op mentioned earlier

she is heading to Mexico tomorrow

not sure on the city. Not sure how to make the decision -- Oh! She said it depends on the rain.

As if, as if -- as if the answer's blowin' in the wind.  

warm wave

Shore! We shall see, Sally.

apple dumplings

Had an adventure today

got steamin' apple dumplins' off the side of a country road

$3 ea.

soaking wet from a bike ride to get to the Center

biking in the rain is an experience, I yelped a lil'

woooo hoo!!! Yeah, baby! It was a good ride.

We pulled over once I saw the apple dumpling sign.

Rode several more miles - I am not a biker you know! It was a challenge!

...and finally, home! just before dusk, still in a tank and capris, breeze feelin' nice 

Tony gave my bike a makeover, new oil, pumped tires, ready to go

I have a nice shiny car you know, but sometimes it's better to let it sit there, even in the rain.

internet have we met

blogging

twittering

facebooking

checking and updating our website

internet-music-ing

Is it all real?

It is, if we are truly connecting.

Here (*points to head*), here we can be connected, friend

Smile at me back, please,

and snap a digital pic to send to me when you do

so I know it's real :-)

smooth sweet mexican sway

lot of green stuff this week

in the light of the bright yellow sun

bohemian melody, baby, sweet hippie love

I sing and dance alone to my own happy rhythm