Anyone Up for a Movie?

This morning when I logged on to MSN, I came across this article about three new movies - Be Like Others, Afghan Star: The Documentary, and The Stoning of Soraya M.. I've been looking for something to blog about, so once I read that article I'd found my topic. I intend to see all three films at the earliest opportunity.

The first, Be Like Others, is an award-winning documentary about the Iranian government's policy towards homosexuality. This article discusses the film - which is premiering on HBO tonight - in more detail. Personally, I find the topic of how various cultures deal (or not) with lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, community, and issues to be a fascinating one... although often sad as well.

When I lived in Kabul, sometimes I watched Afghan Star on TV. I'll readily admit that I didn't enjoy it too much... but that's because it was all in Dari and I couldn't follow the song lyrics or judges' reactions. The documentary film about the show, however, has subtitles! As you'd expect, Afghan Star isn't nearly as flashy as American Idol. But in my opinion, it's more real. Of course, some of the American or British contestants - or audience members - might disagree with me. I think there's something unique about this pop idol show - with all of its glamor, politics, and fledgling democracy - in Afghanistan. The documentary film, however, is not just about the show. Rather, it's the story of four contestants... and the public's reaction to one woman in particular. I found this interview with the director, Havana Marking, which you should read... and in order to peak your interest, here is the trailer:

The third film, The Stoning of Soraya M., is based on a true story and novel of the same name. Although the title gives it away, it's the story of an Iranian woman falsely accused of adultery. You can read a review here. Based on the trailer alone, this one is a poignant film... I expect that when I watch it, I'll need several tissues.

Ok, so I realize that many people don't like watching depressing movies about real people and real issues. If you're like me, however, and often prefer these more realistic films, please let me know what you think of these ones when you see them!

Another Day on the Boat

The weather in Oregon has been fabulous lately; I think we can now say it's summer (or almost)! Last weekend we spent another day out on the water in my brother's boat. It was a great day of talking, laughing, fishing, kayaking, napping, and reading. My sister-in-law, Grace, has posted some pictures on her blog which you can see here. But since this is my blog, I'm posting my own photos:

They finally came for a visit!

Last weekend my cousin and her husband came to Oregon for a visit. Miranda had been saying that they wanted to come for a while, and so it finally worked out and they headed south on the train.
After I picked them up on Friday, we spent the evening out on my brother's boat. The weather was great, the scenery beautiful, and the entire time was enjoyable. A feature of the trip for me was the Gluten-Free beer. I had never thought was it was possible to get such a thing, but Eric noticed it, and I decided that I had to try it. According to the other drinkers in the group, GF beer is not very good, but if they were like me and couldn't have the proper stuff, they'd settle for it. I've concluded that given specific scenarios in which beer is customary, the GF variety will do... but as a general rule beer will never be my first choice. Other highlights of the evening included the stop at Sand Island with boccie ball on the beach (it was boys against girls and we girls won) and the yummy dinner at the end.
As requested by our guests, the following day we headed out for some wine tasting. My brother's house is right in the middle of wine country, so we visited quite a few places - including Elk Cove, Cana's Feast, Sokol Blosser, and Argyle Winery. Saturday evening some more friends came to the house, and we had a lot of fun hanging out on the deck with an arepa dinner.

It was a great weekend, but unfortunately Miranda and Eric had to leave on Sunday... but maybe they'll come for a visit again. (hint, hint :-))

Thanks Mom!

Since yesterday was Mother's Day, I spent the weekend on the Oregon coast with my mom.
We met up on Friday evening and drove to the Gearhart Cottages where we stayed. Gearhart, Oregon is an extremely small town just north of Seaside. The cottage was lovely and I highly recommend it as a nice, quiet spot to stay.

Saturday morning we headed south on Highway 101. Our first stop was at Arcadia Beach for low tide. Although it was a gorgeous day, the wind on the beach was a bit nippy.

After taking lots of photos, we continued on to the Tillamook Cheese Factory where I had the traditional cheese samples and bought some fresh cheese curds. Yummy! Then it was time for the ice cream counter. The way it's set up, you have to choose your flavor based off the names on the signboard, place your order, and pay. Then you go around to the side, where you hand your receipt to someone who actually scoops your order and gives the ice cream to you. Now, Tillamook has 38 regular flavors, so I found it hard to make a decision. I finally settled on one I knew I'd like: espresso mocha (which was very good). However, while my order was being scooped, I got to see all the flavors in the case and could see what each flavor looked like... I now know why children (and adults, for that matter) have to look at all the flavors in the case at Baskin-Robbins before making a decision; the visual aspect is very important in the decision making.

Cannon Beach was the next stop of the day. When I was growing up, it seemed like almost every summer we'd go to Cannon Beach. I think it must be my mom's favorite place. And of course, I always enjoy it, too. We shopped at the Golden Whale (where I splurged on a new pair of earrings) and Bruce's Candy Kitchen (where you can get the best salt water taffy on the coast). We finished up with an early dinner at Morris' Fireside Restaurant (a little pricey, but very tasty).

After resting up a bit back at the cottage, we headed into Seaside. I was on a quest for huckleberry ice cream, which I'd been craving ever since seeing it at Tillamook earlier in the day. It was near closing time for most places, and I didn't find an ice cream shop that carried the Tillamook brand, so I 'settled' for homemade marionberry.
Then we ended up in the Seaside Carousel Mall, where most of the shops were already closed, but the carousel was still running. I enjoyed taking pictures of all the horses, and then my mom and I went for a ride. As the sign said: you're "never too old or too young to ride!"We ended the day with sunset and a short drive on the beach. I'd never been on a beach where cars are also allowed, but the beach at Gearhart is just such a place. I can imagine that if I'd been a teenager in Gearhart, Oregon, my friends and I would have frequently cruised down the beach and hung out around the bonfire.

Sunday morning after checking out of the cottage, my mom was on a quest for an 'Oregon coast' t-shirt, so we headed back to Seaside. We went into store after store, and she finally found one she liked... and I found the huckleberry ice cream (which was well worth the wait).

All in all, it was a great bonding weekend with my mom. I'll remember our trip for a long time... Happy Mother's Day! I love you, mom!

The Garden by the Sea

Following up on the theme of flowers, this weekend I drove down to Shore Acres State Park. It was quite a long drive, but I like road trips. The feature attraction at this time of year (and the reason I went) is the garden with one of the best displays of rhododendrons and azaleas in the Pacific Northwest. Yes, that's right... even though the rhododendron is the state flower of Washington, one of the best places to see them is in Oregon.
I have always liked rhododendrons. When I was a kid, a pair of robins nested right outside our living room window... in the branches of a large rhododendron bush. Watching the birds in the flowering bush is one of my favorite memories of growing up in that house. Although I didn't see any robins there, I did take lots of pictures of the flowers at Shore Acres Gardens.

And of course, while there I also enjoyed the beautiful beach. I'm sure I'll spend more time on the coast this summer, but this first trip of the season was gorgeous.

So Many Tulips!

Yesterday I took a trip to the Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm for the Woodburn Tulip Festival. I'd never been to a tulip festival before, and don't have particularly strong feelings towards tulips (or any flower for that matter). Nonetheless, it was a beautiful day and I enjoyed myself. I walked around the whole field and took lots of pictures.

When I looked up the festival online, I found out that this week was the time to go, as almost all the tulips have bloomed and they won't last much longer. And of course mid-week is cheaper and less crowded than the weekends. I missed out on all the extra weekend stuff, though... live music, wine tasting, hot air balloon rides and wooden shoe carving demonstrations. But if any of you want to enjoy those things and can make it, this weekend would be the best time to go.

Regardless of the time of week, some antique farm equipment is on display.

These were my favorite tractors (antique and modern):

Although I took photos of almost all the different tulips, these are my top four because I think they are the most unique:

A Quintessential Easter

Spring is finally here! The flowers are blooming, the sun is shining, and the predictable intermittent showers are falling.

It's been years since I've been in the U.S. for Easter. Last year I had intended to celebrate by coloring eggs or something, but since I was in Kabul it just didn't work out. Sunday is the beginning of the work-week in Afghanistan, so the holiday passed by like every other day. So this year, I was determined to have a great day with family, food, and all the bunnies and eggs I could.

I made sure I was ready for the weekend with two Easter egg dyeing kits - tie dye and glitter stencils. Originally I thought I'd get the traditional basic kit, but when I went to the store and saw all the choices of specialty kits, I decided I had to try them. After using the fancy kits, however, I've decided that the traditional egg dye is the best. The tie dye is a nice idea, but is way too much work... and mine didn't turn out like I had expected. And the glitter stencils, well, the stencils are flat paper and an egg is round, so the application just didn't work. I decided to free-hand it, and found that some turned out well and others were... um... not so well. I could just imagine a little girl using the kit with her mother, and I think many households heard whiny girl voices saying:
"Mom, it's not working! Why isn't it working? I can't do it!"
But then, when a kindly mother tries to help out, the voice that had been expecting the results to look like the pictures on the box says:
"Mom, you're messing it up!"
Nevertheless, I enjoyed dyeing the eggs... and then using them to make deviled eggs.

In addition to coloring Easter eggs, I also made the nests that my Grandma used to make. Growing up, they were one of my favorite things. I had never made them before and so I discovered what my Grandma went through each year. The process is so messy, sticky and greasy... and the result so tasty... I think I'll make them again next year.

My cousin and I planned to attend a beach side sunrise service together, so I spent Saturday night at her house. Sunday morning we woke up early, drank coffee, got dressed, ate a little something, and talked. But as it turned out, we lost track of time in our conversation... and left the house about a half hour too late. We thought that we'd still make it in time for the last half of the service. Unfortunately, we were wrong. Church was only a half hour instead of the hour that we expected it to be. So we ended up attending the church of Starbucks instead.

The rest of the day went as planned. The extended family gathering was held at my parents' house and was quite enjoyable. I had pulled out all the Easter decorations the day before, so the ambiance was set for the holiday: the egg tree, porcelain rabbits, Ukrainian eggs, and fresh flowers. And of course dinner was great. We had the family favorites: ham, asparagus, Uncle Ed's green salad, my mom's fruit salad and potato salad and Aunt Mary's meringues... mmm. One thing I've learned is that holidays are about the food... at least in my family that's how it is. We have holiday-specific meals and we rarely alter the menu. When I'm away during any holiday I always miss the food... but it's one of those things that I enjoy even more when I am home.

The last thing I must mention is the candy.

My mom made sure that since I was home, I got an Easter basket. It was hidden in the dryer, underneath a towel. Do other families have this tradition? When it comes to my family, the Easter Bunny can't just leave a basket. He... or she (what gender is the Easter Bunny, anyway?) hides the children's baskets, and they must find them. Anyway, back to the candy. I was very pleased to be home and able to have the required items. Peeps and a Cadbury egg (just one!) are items that should be consumed once a year. I also got Jelly Bellys, chocolate eggs and the necessary chocolate bunny (who has not been eaten yet, but will have his ears bitten off first when the time comes).

I hope all of you who celebrate Easter had a great weekend. Mine was just about perfect.

Happy Spring! Happy Nowruz! Happy Passover! Happy Earth Day! Happy Mother's Day!