Emily Lau with Istanpitta

This little clip lets you hear Emily Lau singing. Her voice was so beautiful. And I loved the vielle (the medieval violin) that Shula is playing. It sounds so much nicer than a modern violin. She said that's because the back is flat so it isn't as shrill.
I had dinner with Emily and Shula and Al last night, and I enjoyed talking to them so much, but I sort of feel like they think I'm retarded. Anyway, the video is not as good as they were in life.

Istanpitta again

OK, this little clip is just a section from a longer piece, but I love the way I can hear Celtic AND Sufi music in this!

More Geocahing with Al

So, Al had a phone with a GPS and we set off looking for the cache. It was supposed to be in an ammo box, somewhere near the ruins of an old house. We found the ruins and then Al triangulated an area with his phone so we just walked around and looked. I found it! Yay me! It was hidden pretty well, in a hole and covered with leaves and sticks. It must be all my woodsy skills that enabled me to penetrate the disguise and find the thing. Since you are supposed to leave something, and we weren't really prepared, Al left an Istanpitta card and I left a picture of Sayed :)
It was totally fun to find the cache. It had a lot of weird things in it: a little kaleidoscope, a few tiny rubber animals, a small robber statue, a couple of pens, and just random small things. But it is SO COOL to find buried treasure! I might be addicted, except I don't have a GPS cell phone.

Geocaching with Al

Al came to Atlanta because his band Istanpitta was playing at a church downtown on Sunday, so I met up with him on Saturday to hang out. We went to Sweetwater State Park to hike around and that's when Al hipped me to this wonderful thing called geocaching! It's apparently very popular - so how have I not heard of it before?!?!?! Anyway, people hide random things in weatherproof boxes in the woods and in other public places and put the coordinates online so if you have a GPS phone, you can track them down. And when you find a cache, you open it and sign the list. Some of them you can take from and some of them you are supposed to add to. I found this one!

Rock Stars

So, I don't have any actual photos of ME with Ruben, the lead singer of Cafe Tacuba. But I did meet him several times and hang out with him. I have been to his house many times and we even participated in a group therapy session together one afternoon (family constellations - interesting but with an evil, patriarchal perspective). I didn't know he was so bloody famous when I met him and he was actually more interested in my work in Egypt and what I knew about the revolution that I was in his work. Then I found out how bloody famous he is. Incredible.
Still, I never got up the nerve after finding out how famous he was to ask him for a photo of us. So I can't prove that he's one of my homies. However, I did manage to steal this picture of Ruben with his wife and kids picnicking with some of my friends. Is this proof enough of the exalted circles in which I roll?

my favorite student named Heidi

OK, I shouldn't say I have a favorite student, but I do. Her name is Heidi and she rocks! She studies quantum chemistry. She is totally cute and awesome. I do have other favorite students, I guess,, now that I think about it. And I have many many lug-nut idiot students that I hate. But I don't have pictures of them.
Here is Heidi in traditional dress, for a Chemistry Fair the school did. She had to usher some local school kids around the exhibits. And she, and everybody else, got out of class for it.
That's something I could complain about - the fact that nobody bothers to tell the English Department about ANY events so we don't know that our classes won't be happenening until we are the only ones that show up. I say I COULD complain about that, but anytime I get to spend a day without teaching, is a good time for me!

Funnies

My friend Laura did this and it totally cracks me up. I love the Thoth character.

My man Sayed

I know this is out of chronological order and all, but I was just feeling happy about my sweet-heart and wanted to post his picture. Probably it's all the romance associated with Hathor :)
This is my felucca captain, Sayed, who has my heart with him in Aswan.

Hatshepsut Temple

Some more pictures from Hatshepsut Temple. Mariam is a kick-ass guide, so it was much more informative a trip though the temple than I normally make in these places. We had translated the text from this temple where it describes a voyage to the land of Punt made by the emissaries of the monarch Hatshepsut to bring back all kinds of goodies and the expedition was greeted by the Queen of Punt who was depicted as short and fat with a curved back. We found the space on the wall where this scene was depicted but we couldn't find where the fat lady was. It was tres disappointing.

Going to Work in the Tomb

We are working in the tomb now and it is sooo cool! I can't find anything to complain about aside from the brutal starting hours. We have to get up at 6:30 every morning so we can leave here at 7. The transport to and from the tomb is this cool truck called a taxi balady. A lot like Guatemalan transport, but with a cover :)
Our driver is Nagag. I think that's his name.
Anyway, we have a site manager named Mustafa who is also an inspector for the SCA, but he is second in command of the Harwa project and in charge in Tiradritti's absence. He is very nice and funny, and he comes over in the mornings for coffee then goes with us in the taxi balady to the tomb. Here are some pictures of AJ, Mariam, and Mustafa on our way to work in the mornings.

My Christmas Tree, 2009

I put up my christmas tree this year right after Halloween since I won't be home for much of the real Xmas season. I had my same ceremony - drinking a bottle of wine and listening to christmas music while putting up the tree in my pajamas. I enjoy that.
Now I still have to wrap some presnuts. I failed to get presnuts for myself this year so it's kinda bleak. I hope I get a chance to buy myself a lot of stuff in Egypt and wrap it for myself.

Me and Miss Naincy

I was so happy Nancy was able to hang out with me for Thanksgiving! And we got plenty of cute pictures!

Kitchen Gods

But they sit above the stove. They watch over my cooking and I like to think that they keep me from giving myself food poisoning with my awful cooking.

My miniature obsession

Ok, so it's not so much an obsession as just a fascination. I have amassed a lot of tiny things that I can't let go of. I'm lucky I have big window sills in this apartment. The blue parakeets make me think of my Granny. She used to have a blue parakeet named Sweet Sweet. The tiny Juan Ponce de Leon is from a trip to the Fountain of Youth with Ginger. The little ceramic turtle was a present from my Mommy. And on and on it goes...

My Xena Collection...

Due to popular demand, I am posting pictures of my Xena Warrior Princess doll collection. I have the smaller action-figures too, but they aren't as pretty and I don't have them displayed. I wish they had made a lot more of these 12 inch ones. Sometimes I rearrange them or re-position them to have them act out battles, but they don't wield their swords with anything approaching realism.
I have a Barbie collection too, but they are still in their boxes because I keep telling myself that I only got them as an "investment" to re-sell at some point.
Those two in the middle of the top shelf are South American. They should really be somewhere else, but I don't have that much room in this apartment.

Ricardo Montalban

Ricardo Montalban died today. He was a good actor even though he had some silly roles (Mr. Roarke comes to mind). But he will always be Khan Noonien Singh to me. He is the only "Star Trek" movie villain who previously appeared on "Star Trek" (1966). He played Khan Noonien Singh in the "Star Trek" (1966) episode "Space Seed" and Star Trek: The Wrath of
Khan (1982). He won't be forgotten.

Roof of the Peabody with Natalie

Here we are on the roof of the Peabody Hotel, just before the duck march. It was cold.