Polygamist Ranch

This weekend, Larry King had an exclusive interview with some of the mothers from the ranch and a visit to one of the polygamist homes on the ranch. It was uncomfortably exploitative (I thought), and I was torn... is it really much better to take these kids and put them in the Texas foster care system? The mothers were periodically crying, and it all just seemed so wrong.

Snow + Sprint = Bad Day. TGIF

Let's just say that canceling an account with Sprint is not the most pleasant of experiences. They charged us an invalid $450 cancellation fee and are telling me that I have to wait a month to get it back. Last week they said the check was in the mail. Every time I'm switched to somebody, I have to wait for 20 minutes. This is getting absurd.

It just snowed. Wet snow and it's done 5 minutes later, but it was snow nonetheless. Considering I'm already struggling with the weather, I've got to say that I found it pretty disheartening. Will it ever warm up? It's 71 degrees in Boston today. :(

At least it's Friday. That's a super silver lining!

(waiting to speak with a supervisor)

Zereshk, Halva, and Pomegranate Paste... oh my!

Yesterday my co-worker suggested I try this "good, but sketchy looking" gyro place nearby. I drove the five minutes to get there, parked, and got out of my car... and what did I see right in front of me? A small Persian restaurant with a grocery store in the back! WHAT?! So close to work... and I didn't know. I walked in, the cashier (owner) welcomed me in Farsi, and I just strolled the aisles in awe. I felt like I had to buy something, so I bought two bags of "Pari" rice, which my mom has told me is a very good brand. I bought two bags, because it was "Buy 1, Get 1 Free," although I have to say that for $22, I didn't feel like I was getting much free. :)

Then I went to the gyro place, only to find that they didn't take credit cards like my colleague had assured me they do. Then something very strange happened. The guy said, "Don't worry. Come back another day and pay." What? Was I in the US? It turned out that I had enough cash on me in the end, but I was still surprised. Turns out he was from Libya, and he said that it was how they did business back home. They just write it down in a corner, and you pay once a week or month or whatever. He said he does this with customers here all the time. I have to say... the trust his statement showed felt WONDERFUL. I will be going back, especially because the gyro was good too! Maybe next time I'll just have it put on my tab.

As he made my gyro (with this really yummy bread), he asked me if I worked at the bakery next door. No. Why did he think that? Because I look like somebody who works there... it's a Persian bakery! He said it's quite good, and he buys something there almost every morning (must go try it out myself). So now there is a Persian grocery store, a Libyan owned gyro place (complete with two guys sitting in the back just hanging out and chatting in Arabic), and a Persian bakery all on the same block? How was I so lucky to fall upon this little corner of the Middle East in Lake Forest Park, WA? It doesn't really matter, I guess. All I know is that I came back to work, ate my gyro, super thanked my co-worker for the suggestion, and had a smile on my face for the rest of the day.

Today, I went back to the grocery store today where I was welcomed warmly, and I did some proper shopping. I have a grocery bag full of goodies to share with my mom when I get back home. :)

Grey Skies...

I'm not sure I'll be able to settle in Seattle. Right now, I hate the weather. I have been promised that snow at the end of March is abnormal and that it's colder than usual, but really... I can't take much more of this! I want it to be WARMER! And SUNNIER! I've been told the summer starts after July 4th... can I make it that long??? Thankfully, we are going to Hawaii in June.

Please, please let me make it to the summer, so I can see the beauty I have been promised. Maybe it'll make me realize it is all worth it? I don't know. For now, I feel like this dreariness will never end. OK, to be fair, it's not the gray that is annoying me as much as the constant 40-50 degree weather. Saturday was 70 degrees, fair enough. But is one day really supposed to make me want to LIVE somewhere?

Otherwise... I'm loving Seattle, so hopefully some warmer weather is coming MUCH sooner than July!

Yum

Today I proclaim that dark chocolate covered graham crackers are amongst my favorite things... it is the only thing able to entice me to walk into a Starbucks. (Hate coffee... which makes being married to an addict annoying at times. :p)