Thursday, November 30, 2006
Happy 145th Birthday...
Great-Great Grandmother
Marie Martine Moreau Tessier
born 30 November 1861
Saint Alexandre de Iberville,
Quebec, Canada
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That's right Sheila, she was from Canada...
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lots of famous people were...

Avril Lavigne
Pamela Anderson
Romeo Dallaire
Shania Twain
Nelly Furtado
Estella Warren
Sum41
Shannon Tweed
Barenakedladies
Keanu Reeves
Celine Dion
Alanis Morissette
Peter North
Bryan Adams
Neil Young
Jim Carrey
Natasha Henstridge
Jennifer Tilly
Sarah McLachlan
Leonard Cohen
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(Peter North wow!!)

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Well...
in honor of AMAZING Canada
which has given us sooo much
(including my very special Canadian blogger friends)
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Happy Canadian HNT!
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click here to view
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S1 155
Written at 10:36 AM by The Persian.
21 comments
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Way back Wednesday.. my grandparents





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I was going through some of the hundreds of photographs my Aunt gave me a few weeks ago and came across this series from an afternoon my grandparents spent together before they were married in the 1940's. They were both teenagers at that point.
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He was Sicilian and she English/Dutch. They had to sneak around, her family did not approve.
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anyway...
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these three of my little monsters just made me smile
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I guess they were a little hungry in this one...

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I was originally going to make this post today about my ex-wife and I, but time got away from me and if you are going to cover a significant part of your life it shouldn't be rushed. So I will possibly do that tomorrow or next Wednesday.
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Last night I had a couple drinks with a friend..
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Any of you ever blog under the influence?
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It's always more fun at the time..
than it is reading what you have written in horror the next day.
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*sigh*
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*pours the Bombay down the sink*
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I feel a little better now...
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here is an interesting historical factoid...
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The X's that people sometimes put at the end of letters or notes to mean a kiss (not to be confused with the mark X used by people unable to sign their name) actually started back in the Middle Ages when Lords would sign their names at the end of documents to other important people. It was originally a cross that they would kiss after signing to signify that they were faithful to God and their King.
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Louis XVI of France and Napoleon both suffered from ailurophobia--fear of cats.
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and finally .. if you are superstitious you might find this interesting...
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An old wives tale on the Bee
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If a bee enters your home, it's a sign that you will soon have a visitor.
If you kill the bee, you will have bad luck, or the visitor will be unpleasant.

A swarm of bees settling on a roof is an omen that the house will burn down.
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That last line made me chuckle a little..
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Hope everyone has a great Hump Day :)
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xo


Written at 7:14 AM by The Persian.
14 comments
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
It actually sold...
my ex-wife and I at the old house, we were both 20
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So my old shack finally sold. I am 10% sad, and 90% anxiously anticipating it being demolished. The closing is Wednesday, and evidently I am getting a new kitchen out of the deal.
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At least that's what one of the trustees to the Realty trust which "owns" that old place and the strip mall beside it. My grandfather made up all of these things for tax purposes. None of us really own our homes in this family, they are all sort of independent entities with trustees and beneficiaries. Evidently when something is liquidated within one of these things, the beneficiaries can (at that point) take some sort of revenue from them. I am not clear on how it all works, but in the end they have decided to have my Kitchen completely redone here (it needs an overhaul). Wednesday night after the closing I am going Cabinet and counter shopping, how exiting is THAT?
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So I had to go meet a former tenant of that old place after work last night so that he could remove a Canoe which has been in it's basement for years. Turns out, some renovations they did to the place 10 years ago resulted in the installation of three new columns in the basement. The fools boxed in the Canoe! So it was impossible to remove. I don't think the guy was too happy but what can be done?
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A funny thing happened when I pulled into the parking lot of the Strip Mall next to the place..
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This young guy
(maybe 20, backwards cap, very long hair)
pulls up right behind me
and starts yelling something..
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I'm thinking, shit did I cut him off or something?
I was not in the mood for road rage..
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then I hear what he's saying...
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"Duuuuude!!
That is the fcking most amazing license plate I've ever seen...
and I am gonna take a picture of it right now!!!
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Thanks I said "Go ahead"
and he did, a couple in fact.
It was kind of cute how he got all exited.
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I came home soon after, a friend came over, we went for this super long walk (close to 4 miles) and then made these incredible Garlic-Lime marinated Chicken Salads and sat down to watch some TV (which I don't usually do, but was cool for a change). Wow... two words
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Sendhil Ramamurthy
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My friend has been going on and on about Heroes.
I guess I never really paid attention until now, and I think I'm hooked.
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and the winner of yesterday's
Vote for your favorite Persian
is #3 by 3 votes.

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He is actually very nice.
(altho I was thinking #5 would win for some reason)
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S1 156
Written at 7:16 AM by The Persian.
20 comments
Monday, November 27, 2006
such a great day...

Because I lost my wallet, and do not have my new Debit Card yet, taking out money on a Sunday is nearly impossible. Funds were limited (I had $40) and so the kids and I needed to do something homey. They have their own new PC, 3 gaming systems, tons of games and well there is always my 300+ DVD collection to keep them/us occupied.
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We grabbed a quick lunch and then it occurred to me
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Thanksgiving was over and why not put up the Christmas stuff?
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My younger son was very exited, and offered to help.
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He was as into it as I was, filling the tree with ornaments, untangling these beads my Aunt had given me, and giving me some pointers on where to put stuff. My mother used to collect these Christmas Houses from Department 56. She gave them to me to sell on Ebay a couple years ago and I never got around too it. My son saw them downstairs in the cubby space (I live in a condo) and insisted I put a couple of them out. I never have in the past, they really just seemed to clash with my place. I told him to pick out a couple and I would.
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If you are wondering what that obnoxious dancing oriental statue is on the floor, it was my late father's. He was an interior designer and had so many very unique pieces. It's quite old and weighs probably 30 pounds (it fell over and almost killed my cat once).
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Afterward my son asked me to drive around to the back of the courtyard so we could see how the tree looked from outside. It looked amazing! He was exited. :)
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It was just one of the best afternoons I ever spent with my son. Each time I walk to the kitchen , passing through the living room, I look at the tree and think of him decorating it. If that doesn't put you into The Holiday Spirit, I don't know what would. It makes this place that much less lonely, like a part of him is still here. :)
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so moving right along...
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I had the most amazing 2 hour chat yesterday with this guy... we hit it off so well and perhaps will meet sometime soon. He's half Italian, is tri-lingual, has traveled extensively and is exactly my age. I haven't met anyone in forever that I had so much in common with and where the conversation flowed so easily. I even shared a couple of my Youtube videos (on the sidebar) with him. We'll see, I'm hopeful. Here he is... (it's the picture from his public profile so I think it's ok to post). It's not like I'm giving out his name or anything.

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Like I said the day was just perfect.
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and without further adieu...
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Middle Eastern Monday
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Pick your favorite Persian
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5
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Have a Great Monday everyone :)
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S2 157
Written at 7:05 AM by The Persian.
27 comments
Sunday, November 26, 2006
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When I was 5 years old my Grandmother's older sister Lena passed away. We are a small and relatively close-knit family and even at that young age I had spent a great deal of time with her. I have a couple very clear memories of this period. I don't remember my reaction to her passing, which I am sure seemed more like she was away in a far distant land than the reality of her death. She was just there one day, cooking me gnocchi's and the next gone.
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My mother, always trying to do everything "the right way" thought it best to expose me for the first time to the reality of life and death. She brought me to the wake (now this is one vivid memory) and had me touch her as she lay in the coffin. I remember her being very cold and that she didn't look anything like the Aunt Lena I knew and loved. But of my earliest memories, it is this one which sticks out in the clearest of detail. In fairness to my mother it actually served her purpose, I was never after that point upset or hesitant to attend a wake or funeral. I just had no anxieties about them afterward. That brings me to Friday...
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My Brother-In-Law's father passed away last week. His wake was this past Friday. I decided to bring my older son with me. Well, I asked him first, and since he knew the deceased very well (from nearly every major family holiday and birthday) and also is relatively close to my sister's husband (his son) he wanted to go. So after work Friday I picked him up and we set out for the Funeral Home. This man was very well connected in local politics, and had a huge family. It was a two hour line outside the home and one hour line inside. We got in line at 4:30 and finally reached the casket and receiving line at 7:45. It was very cold and my hands were beginning to get numb by the time we got inside. I have never seen such an outpouring of support. He was very well liked needless to say and this was certainly evident by the number of mourners in attendance.
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My son got choked up upon reaching the casket, kneeled, said a prayer and greeted both my (step) sister and her husband with a handshake and hug. They were touched that he came, given his young age, and while he was at a loss for words, he hugged everyone in the receiving line and expressed his sympathy with one repeated phrase "I am so sorry for your loss". I was so proud of him, he's becoming a little man.
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Afterward, while walking to the car my son told me how glad he was that he went. This was especially meaningful as he had plans with friends for 7:00 that night and given the unanticipated 3 hour line he wasn't going to get home until 8:30.
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moving along to yesterday...
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My kids insisted we go see this ...

Tenacious D & the pic of destiny



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I really can't stand sitting through anything Jack Black does, how anyone can is beyond me. But it was their choice (as it should be) and I took them regardless, enduring it somehow. He was of course his usual grating humorless self, nothing new there. The supporting cast (much like with Nacho Libre) took the edge off it and I had a few laughs. They really enjoyed it so when all was said and done it was a fun afternoon.
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I took them home for 5ish and came back here. I had plans with a couple friends to go out.
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Is anyone having trouble loading up my blog? Patti posted a comment to that effect yesterday.
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Hope everyone has a pleasant Sunday :)
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S1 154


Written at 9:34 AM by The Persian.
11 comments
Friday, November 24, 2006
Y'all are mad if you go shopping today :)







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Anyway I don't even have that option, I'm working :(
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I'm kind of broke at the moment anyway, so maybe that is a good thing.
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Yesterday was very relaxing, spent the day at my Mother's with the kids.
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I lost my wallet two days ago, and am stressing out big time about it, I have to get a new license, debit card, ID Badge (for work) and a slew of other things. I had only a $1. bill (sad right?) in the wallet so whoever found/stole it certainly didn't hit the jackpot. My only concern is that my current address will not be found as nothing has been changed over (I'm a slacker sometimes). Also the forwarding on the old addy is long since expired, so mailing it to me will not help.
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Essentially I'm f'cked!
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I have a wake to go to after work today
(my brother-in-law's father passed away)
with my older son
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means I have to shave, buzz my head, and Iron (ugh)
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time is short, much to do, need a shower
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This is for my Cesco..
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Crank Call Friday
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Japanese VCR repair
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S1 157
Written at 6:48 AM by The Persian.
25 comments
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Happy Turkey Day :)

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1. My two sons. They are the lights which illuminate my soul. When I am with them nothing else in the world is evident nor matters. Even in my darkest days I need merely look at their photograph and the sadness instantly dissipates. They are the base from which I draw every inch of strength I possess.



2. My mother. I am thankful to have had (all of my life) the deepest love and unconditional support of the woman who may not have given me life in the biological sense, but rather has , with love and tenderness, shaped me into the man I have become today. Thank You Mom :)


3. My Gram. While she may be failing these days, not always remembering exactly who I am, I am ever thankful to have her in my life still and cherish every moment we spend together. My Gram, like Mom, has had such an impact on who I am today and I love her dearly.


4. My Stepdad. We may have had our early ups and downs when you married Mom (I was 9), and I fought you at every angle you tried to become a loving father figure, I look back and realize everything you have done for me was (and still is) out of love. It took me until I reached adult hood to understand this, I was so afraid that my father was being replaced that I did not see who you are, the most beautiful soul you possess and how much I truly and wholeheartedly love you.

5. My Aunt. There is hardly a day we don't speak and never a moment I do not appreciate the gifts of love and support that have poured from your heart. You never had a child of your own, and are the closest thing to a second mother I will ever have. I love you.

(Gram and Auntie)

6. My Friends . I am so very thankful to have you in my life, you center my existence and bring so much laughter and happiness into my world I would be lost without you.


7. My Cat. She is loving, affectionate, and makes my nights all that less lonely. Would you believe she talks to me? (I'm not crazy lol, she actually tries to tell me things, especially when she is angry at being evicted from the living room (see cat scratch video on the sidebar)

8. My Home. I am thankful to own this Condo outright, the perfect location, size and layout.

9. My New Car. The most amazing vehicle I have ever owned, I still cannot believe it's mine and for the first time in my life with no car payments!


10. My Degree. I am thankful to have finally finished my degree (BA in History). It was a very long road, but each time I look up at that frame above my desk here I get a feeling of accomplishment. (Now to use it and get out of my current job for something better!)

11. My Blogger Friends. I would be lost without all of you guys, each and every person on my sidebar is special to me (I've been trying to tweak it down a bit because it's so big, but I never can!!) *Giant Persian Hugs*.

12. My health. I am thankful to be healthy, free of any major ailment or disease (apart from the occasional broken toe) and have the energy to keep up with my growing sons (and that is a serious workout!!)

13. To be an American. Yes I know this may sound like a cheesy thing to list to some people, but it's true. I am incredibly thankful that I live in this great Nation and am equally proud to be an American Citizen.


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So last night my friend came over, we had a couple spirits and made two of my Strawberry Swirl Cheesecakes (one for my family, one for his) The recipe can be found here. It is quite the crowd pleaser, I encourage some of you to try it! (I get hounded constantly for them lol)


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Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!!
and also...
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Happy HNT :)
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click here to view

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S1 156
Written at 8:44 AM by The Persian.
26 comments