Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius, and it is better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.  — Marilyn Monroe

I have a small scar on the back of my hand that came from being cut by a steel hinge on a door at work one day.  It’s not that noticeable, as a matter of fact, if you aren’t staring at my hand you probably can’t really see it at all.  I’m pretty sure I look at it everyday though, but not in a bad way…I actually think it’s kind of cute. 

I distinctly remember when it happened.  I was working on a project that wasn’t necessarily my favorite and as I was walking from one hallway to another, through one of those fire doors that has to stay closed at all times, the door started closing too quickly and it sliced the back of my hand.  I was furious!!  The cut was about a half-inch long and when it first started healing up it was so ugly.  I remember thinking, “great, I hate this project and now I have a permanent reminder of it right here on the back of my hand…and it’s ugly to boot!”  Well, as the saying goes, time heals all wounds, and with time mine healed as well.  Much better than I thought it would but it did leave a scar nevertheless.

Well today I was driving home and, as I often do, I glanced over at the little scar on my hand.  I thought to myself that I was glad it had healed so well and that there was something so uniquely me about it.  I don’t know what I think that “me” thing is but seeing that scar there lets me know I’m me.  It brings back memories, some good, some not as good, but it’s those memories that build who I am.  Even though the events that brought about that particular scar were not traumatic, it reminds me that I am a strong person at my core and that I can persevere through all types of adversity and still come out as me on the other side…and to me that’s beautiful.

No one lives a perfect life, we all have bumps in the road.  I think the key is to stay strong and believe that all things happen for a reason.  It’s all in God’s master plan for you.  It’ll work out in the end.  Easier said than done at times…but it’s worth saying as many times as it takes to believe it.  Ω

As I continue to come to terms with the fact that I’m no longer considered a “young adult” anymore…twenties are now officially over…I started thinking about how as I’ve gotten older I’ve been able to enjoy more and more foods.  When you’re a kid there are times when you declare how much you hate a particular food just because you don’t feel like eating it (why would you want to eat broccoli when there’s ice cream to be had following dinner???).  And then there are definitely foods you don’t want to eat because they simply do not taste good (bitter collard greens, no thanks).  I read somewhere that this is because you start to lose taste buds as you get older.  Well, although I don’t want to lose them all (mmmm…flavors), I welcome the new exploration into food that the loss of some of them has sparked off.

My newly found friend the avocado was just years ago my mortal enemy.  Just the sheer texture was enough to make me give a thumbs down to any dish.  Now I find myself browsing through menus and recipes looking for the ones that include avocado!  Smooth and creamy with a flavor all its own, makes any sandwich 100 times better.  And don’t get me started on guacamole…I try keep 2 to 3 avocados in my refrigerator at all times for making impromptu guacamole whenever the craving hits!

While I was on my trip to the St. Julian winery (http://adcdaily2009.wordpress.com/2009/07/19/st-julians/) I had a taste of their Shiraz.  I had been reading up on wine, wine tasting, etc. in preparation for a trip to Napa Valley (still in the works) and the books all mention that in addition to the taste of  luscious cherries and berries, Shiraz also can have undertones of black pepper.  I’ve had a lot of different types of Shiraz in the past but never tasted the “black pepper.”  When I tasted this one, however, it was very distinct.  I don’t know why I was able to taste it this time but I’m just going to chalk it up to my new refined adult palate

Another new favorite, dark chocolate…where have you been all my life!  Milk chocolate pales in comparison!!!

One thing that annoys me a little is when people don’t want to try new foods.  I don’t mind if they are freaked out by the food or something (like it looks icky or crazy) but some people just don’t want to try it because they are scared of the flavors.  I say, at least take a bite…you don’t have to eat it all.  You never know, maybe something you didn’t like will now be your all time favorite.  Or, maybe a flavor you never experienced before (maybe it’s not common in American cuisine or something like that) will turn into the spice of a lifetime! 

I like adventures, and food can be an adventure.  I think a lot of people feel the same way.  Just look at the success of The Food Network, Top Chef, Iron Chef.  Come on and join the food revolution!!  Try a new food, new spice, a new recipe!!!  Ω

Most of the time was filled with work (as it should’ve been since they were footing the bill) but even the time at the office was pretty cool. I got to meet all of the Spanish team members who were only names and voices on the phone previously. They were all really nice and helpful and I still keep in touch with a few of them even now (hola moreno ).

I did have a little bit of time outside of the office. We went for tapas one night after work where I had my first (and hopefully only) experience with prawns on a plate that still had their heads and legs on. Those who know me know that I have a hard time eating food that still looks like the animal it came from (think crab legs, whole lobster tails, even whole chicken wings). So imagine my dismay as my Spanish pals started right in, taking the heads and legs off with ease and declaring how good the prawns tasted. I really wanted to try some but I was freaking out inside!!! I summoned up all of my inner determination not to seem like a crazy American and picked up a prawn. Using my fork as a guard between me and the head of the prawn I managed to prep one piece for consumption. Yummy indeed! I tried for another. Success! And then looking at the 2 heads and 16 legs on my plate, I decided 2 was a great accomplishment and I switched back to the more processed looking items on the table .

When the weekend rolled around I found myself out in the streets of Malaga on my own. I walked around near my hotel at first, admiring the epic looking cathedral that sat only maybe a block away from the hotel. It was magnificent, but it took me by surprise how a building that was constructed centuries before didn’t seem out of place on a street which now featured more modern hotels and highrises. Being a citizen of the modern day United States, a relatively new country when placed in perspective of the world at-large and where old buildings are more often than not torn down in favor of bigger and “better” ones, I’m not used to this juxtaposition of old and new. It’s intriguing and makes for interesting sightseeing. It adds a layer of history to a location and makes you think about the people that have graced that spot before you.

Cathedral @ Malaga

As the day went on I ventured out a little further and discovered that also within walking distance was a castle/fortress, Alcazaba. I took a little self-guided tour through the grounds, and once I reached the top, was welcomed to a phenomenal view of the city below including the bullfighting arena or plaza de toros. Another funny note, across the street from the castle entrance was a Subway restaurant…hahaha. I guess at least it wasn’t Quiznos…I HATE Quiznos!!!!

Subway is in the bottom right-hand corner

View from atop the castle tower

As the day started to wind down I headed back toward my hotel. I got a chance to talk to a street vendor who asked me whether or not I was a singer because I had a “jazzy” voice. Little did he know I was coming down with a cold…LOL. As I was walking through a plaza near the hotel, I was startled by a tall, brown haired guy who was trying to get my attention. He started asking me where I was from, what was my name, what was I doing in Malaga, etc. Alright, the moment you’ve been waiting for…time for the tie-in to the title…turns out this guy was from Holland…the real Holland, not Holland, Michigan. His name was Frank. He told me he’d never heard of Holland, Michigan but thought it was interesting. I ended up spending the rest of the afternoon going around the area with Frank. Stopping for a cup of coffee at first, then later on a glass of wine. It was fun. Completely out of character for me…I’m not typically one to go around town with someone I just met on the street…hahaha. For whatever reason, in this instance, it seemed ok. It actually made the whole trip that much more memorable. Whether or not I would do it again (the Frank portion that is) is debatable. It’s a perilous tight rope walk between letting down your walls but staying on guard for your own safety. Frank turned out to be a nice guy. Walked me back to my hotel at the end of our expedition (and went back to his own).

I told my friend that I need to make a return trip to see them all again. I’ve got to get those plans in motion. Maybe hit some of the other European locations I’ve always wanted to visit. England. France. Italy. Greece. There’s a whole world out there to see. Ω

Beach off the Mediterranean Sea @ dusk

…of Isaac Mizrahi.

For those of you who don’t know who Isaac is, he’s a American fashion designer from New York (http://www.isaacmizrahiny.com/about).

I remember hearing about Isaac Mizrahi when I was younger (I seem to remember some rap lyrics that mentioned him??) but I didn’t become a fan until I started watching his show, aptly named “The Isaac Mizrahi Show,” on the Oxygen network.  The show was more or less just a collection of segments with Isaac talking about things he loved, such as New York, food, fashion, various actresses…the list goes on.  But what makes it so good is how he talks about it.  It’s like he’s so excited to share his passion about each of these topics.  He has the ability to make you excited about something you didn’t even know you cared about!  I remember really wanting to taste ice cream topped with strawberries and balsamic vinegar after Isaac’s description made it sound so wonderful!!  He’s fabulous!

I also learned about Isaac’s squinty eyes technique that he uses to focus on the silhouette of an outfit or a piece as opposed to the piece itself.  Genius!  Lucky for me, he now seems to be everywhere!  Isaac Mizrahi for Target, his new show “The Fashion Show,” and now I hear even QVC wants to hop on board the Mizrahi train.  Can’t blame ‘em.

I really love people that are so dedicated to what ever it is that they are doing that their emotions are transferred to anyone that comes within their reach.  To me, that is the mark of a true artist.  Whether it’s a designer, an author, a painter, an actor, or even…yes kids…a businessperson (hello…the “art” of business), it’s those passionate leaders that always come to the forefront of their disciplines.  They leave you wanting more!  I wonder if that’s the elusive “it” factor that you always hear people in the entertainment industry talk about?  It is rare indeed.  I mean really, how many people can get you excited to hear more about the supply chain operations of a cranberry processing plant.  But their out there…I’ve met them.  I’m going to go out and try to find some more…”buh bye darling!”  Ω

Picture taken by Angeliki 8/2/2009

http://www.michigan.gov/mda/0,1607,7-125-1570_2468_2471-13553–,00.html

Michigan…is there anything we can’t do?  Ω

She started off by asking me, in the most un-indoor voice I’ve heard from someone over the age of 7 in a long time, “IS THIS THE LINE WHERE YOU BUY CIGARETTES???”  Unbeknownst to me there’s only one line in the store that is authorized to sell cigarettes I guess.  I didn’t know, so she proceeded to yell to the cashier (who was busy ringing up what seemed like 800 items for the lady in front of me), “HEY!!  IS THIS THE LINE WHERE YOU BUY CIGARETTES???!!!”  And lucky for Joyce, it was.

As we both waited for our turn in line, I noticed Joyce was pensively perusing the snacks on either side of the conveyor belt.  I didn’t see her selections until she asked whether or not she could have cuts in line, since she only had 3 things and I had quite a few more.  “Sure, not a problem”  I said….I’d already been waiting 15 minutes, what was 2 more.  She stepped in front and asked where my groceries started and was immediately disappointed to find out that my items actually started pretty far back on the belt and all the rest were a part of the 800 item order.  I was shocked to see that Joyce would be leaving the store today with some beef jerky, a pack of Certs and, of course, her cigarettes.

This post was going to be about how crazy that all seemed to me.  I mean, come on, beef jerky, Certs and cigs?  You can’t make that stuff up!  But then before I could finish the post I had another in-store experience that, oddly enough, made me remember my Joyce encounter.  This time I was in Macy’s department store waiting for my sister to finish trying on some pants.  Three women were just outside the dressing room and one said, “it’s nice but it’s $40″ (referring to a shirt) then another said “but it’s your birthday, just get it.”  She thought about it but then decided that she could get something that cost a little less at JC Penney and they left to go there instead.

How do these relate, you may be wondering.  Well the common denominator to me is happiness.  What makes you happy?  For Joyce, it’s jerky, cigs and Certs on a Thursday evening.  For the lady at Macy’s, I’m guessing it would’ve made her day to have someone give her that blouse for her birthday.  We all have our idea of what a special treat would be, and much of it is driven by who we associate with and the environment we live in. 

For some people in certain circles, thinking twice about purchasing a $40 blouse seems foreign, maybe even absurd.  They may not even know that you can buy a blouse for $40.  That day in Macy’s, $40 was extravagant; and although I’m 100% sure she knew that there are blouses that cost much, much more, I’m sure having that one would’ve brought her happiness that day.  Same for Joyce.  I’m sure she knows that a nice steak in a fabulous restaurant would taste really nice, but as for this Thursday, jerky will do just nicely.

With times being as hard as they are for people right now, I think it’s a good time to take stock of what’s truly necessary for happiness.  It’s not necessarily all the flash and flair.  We all want that at some time or another.  But until then, small things count too.  Ω

My stance on this topic is that no matter how scary land animals are, they are not as scary as sea creatures.  For example:

• Black Bear vs. Giant Squid…I’d take my chances with bear
• Elephant vs. Blue Whale…elephants are kind of cute
• Lion vs. Shark…lions are sneaky but if you see them coming you might have a chance
• Snake vs. Eel…tough one but snake is slightly less scary than eel

I always feel that in some innate, terrestrial-lific way I would be able to reason with land animals if I’m ever in a position where they are chasing me or trying to get me…hahaha.  On the other hand, I’ve got zero connection to those sea-dwellers so who knows what their next move may be.  And if I’m underwater for any length of time anyways, game over.  Not to mention (and I don’t have any proof of this) they all seem like they’re slightly slimy and that in and of itself is scary!

So I’ll put the question out there…which do you think is the scariest, land or sea?  Ω

So as I’ve mentioned before, I’m trying to figure out what exactly it is that I want to do once I finish school this time around.  Inevitably this always leads me down the path of “I think I’m sort of creative…maybe I should try to find something that lets me use my creativity…”  The only problem with this line of thinking is that even though I do feel I’m creative, that creativity is not always manifested into something tangible.  I come up with what I think are great ideas and then they just sort of float around aimlessly inside the enclosure that is my mind.

I’ll give you an example.  I currently live in an apartment and in my opinion, it’s not worth it to paint and really decorate when I know I’m going to be packing up and moving soon.  That being said, I do have dreams of one day owning a home of my own and I often think about how I would decorate then.  One idea I’ve had lately is to paint a room where one wall (or parts thereof) is done in the style of a famous painter.  I can’t tell you which painter because I’m convinced once I do it I’ll be the first person to have it, and then if I see it anywhere else I can say they copied me   (although in theory I guess I’m copying the original artist but that’s beside the point…it’s not like they were a house painter…hahaha).  As I roll this thought over in my mind, I wonder, when the time comes, will the execution match the vision?  Can I really pull it off?  Will it look as cool as I think it will?

I had one such execution vs. vision experiment only a few weeks ago.  A friend of mine invited me to go to a store where you can purchase and then paint pottery or create your own mosiac pieces.  We all went for mosaics.  I picked my base for the design…a circle…it has meaning for me.  Then as I stood in front of the numerous jars of cracked glass, smoothly cut tiles, seashells, beads and other various materials the store provided as a means for conveying your design, I tried to dig deep into my inner artist and pull out something that wouldn’t get laughed out of the store! 

I envisioned rows of glass alternating between black and gold with hints of green to break up the monotony.  Ok, so let me just preface this by saying 1) I only had about 15 minutes to pick the shape, come up with the design and then figure out how to use the glass pieces provided by the store to do it;  and 2) It’s not like I have a dream mosaic design I’ve been waiting to unleash on the world (unlike the previously mentioned wall painting technique that will take the decorating world by storm…you just wait!).

Ladies & Gentlemen, my first mosaic…

I have to admit, not exactly what I saw in my mind but I was happy with it.  I didn’t think it was all that bad for a first timer .

So you may wonder, “Angeliki, why are you telling us about this??  What do you want us to do about it?”  Well here’s my proposal.  Let’s support a movement to add a sub-concentration to the area of Fine Arts which includes “mental expressionism”  (does this already exist???).

Picture it (and if you can you are right there with me as one of the pioneers of this movement), art galleries that include a single chair in the middle of a room.  Blank walls.  Great acoustics.  Dimmed lights.  Patrons come in and gather around as the artist, a master mental expressionist, walks in, takes a seat and begins to tell them all about the wonderful things they see in their minds.  This type of gallery is for all levels of art lovers, from the true connoisseur to the neophyte.  You take the artist’s words in and convert them to images in your own mind.  No one can tell you you’re not interpreting it right because they don’t know what you see…everyone’s an expert.  Each person’s experience is different and you can “see” the same presentation again and always find something new.

Recordings are available for purchase at the door…Ω

There was definitely an art to getting them out of the book.  If you tore one of the edges on the doll, or if you tore one of the edges on the little stand that came with it you would never get it to stand up at all.  Then the clothes…oh man, the clothes.  Please don’t make a mistake and rip off one of the little tabs because if you do, you’ve lost an entire outfit!!  <giving me chills to think about it even now>

A new book of paper dolls was always a treat.  It was usually a little reward for being good at the grocery store while my parents were shopping.  I’d get to pick out one thing from the toy aisle that, for some reason, grocery stores used to have back in the day (does anyone else remember that??).  More often than not I’d pick a book of Barbie paper dolls because I was all about Barbie at the time. 

I’d get them home and after waiting patiently for my parents to finish putting the groceries away (all the grocery bags were on the kitchen table until they finished), I’d sit down at the table and start intensely concentrating on punching out all my new dolls and their clothes.  Like I said, this was no small feat, especially for crazy, not-so-delicate, kid hands.  My mom would start cooking dinner, but once she got to a point where things were simmering, or just didn’t need her attention, she’d sit down and help me punch out a few things.  I mentioned that to her today to see if she remembered and she had to admit that she probably punched out things wrong more times than I did…hahaha.  Classic mom…notorious for always doing things the hard way.  Lucky for her I didn’t see her mess any up   Even funnier than that, I’m pretty sure on a few occasions my dad even punched some out!  Which is hilarious because I think his hands were the size of like 2 regular hands so it’s beyond me how he managed to punch out those little barbie outfits…ha!

Well after the punching out was complete there were the endless stories I would create.  Fashion shows, Barbie at work, Barbie at school, other various adventures.  All was fun and games until that faithful day when the paper just wasn’t as stiff as it used to be.  I might be able to get one more play day out of them if I use some strategically placed scotch tape but then that was it…until the next grocery day…Ω