Sisters

Reliving the old hairdying days of high school- only this time it was Special Effects instead of Manic Panic and I had the foresight to wear rubber gloves and so I wouldn't have to walk around for days with bright purple hands.

This Is Us

Sandy, Maggie and I - with Shelley there in spirit - at the historic moment that the election was called for Obama.

The Kiss of Death

At No Mas! Hacienda & Cantina on Halloween night, Reem, Layla and I each drank the Kiss of Death: a blood orange margarita, made with Scorpion Mezcal, garnished with a sugar skull on a floating blood orange wheel, served on fire.

Tomorrow! Tomorrow! CARNIVAL OF THE DEAD!!!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! We were going to write to you last night and wish you a happy All Hallows Eve eve but decided we would wait till the big day. And today is the big day before the BIG DAY of the CARNIVAL OF THE DEAD rolling into town! We simply cannot wait for you to see the show.

Be sure to check http://www.carnivalofthedead.com/ not only to get your tickets, but also for the extra secret directions to the Carnival location. Okay the secret is luminaries. Follow the luminaries.

Come marvel at the FIREBREATHING DIVA at 11pm. While we're certain your intoxication alone will sufficiently scare others, don't forget to dress up for the not-so-typical costume contest at midnight! (Be sure to hang onto your hobo costume after Halloween in case the financial bailout doesn't work.)

With a love that echoes through the ages,

your Ringmistresses
Sara, Mica, Becky, Ela, Kristi, Carrie and Malissa

Tis the Season

1. To eat a mini candy bar with every meal. And between every meal. No problem since you have the gigantic bag of Halloween candy from Costco. "It's for the trick-or-treaters!" you assured Kristi as you hefted the bag into your cart.

A few days later you realize that every time you pass the dining room table you grab a Baby Ruth to eat on the way to work, a Butterfinger to tide you over till dinner, a Snickers to compliment your otherwise boring lunch of a veggie sandwich and apple slices, a Reese's because Rock of Love Charm School is on, an Almond Joy because the phone rang...

2. To listen to The Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack on repeat in your office while you work for days. You sheepishly pause it when your coworkers come by to discuss important matters, but since its Wednesday they've totally already got you figured out.

3. To wear all black everyday accented with spider-based jewelry.

4. To daydream about Carnivals.

Jiddu voted

Yesterday, my 90-something year old Iraqi grandfather voted. Jiddu was escorted to the polls by my great aunt who is in her late 70s herself. To help you visualize, the two of them are at the very center of this picture (click on it to make it bigger):



When I talked with Auntie Hadar on her birthday on Sunday, she told me how hard she had been working for the Obama campaign. "Every day! 9am to 9pm!" she told me with amazement-- though she assured me she took the day off for her birthday. She spoke proudly about "all the young people" (which likely includes people from age 10-49) who would arrive in buses from across Illinois every morning and then disperse to small towns in Wisconsin to door knock.

According to my sister Reem, after voting, Jiddu and Auntie Hadar went to Sam's Club to celebrate by eating samples. Apparently they were given lots of extra samples because like any skilled organizer, Auntie Hadar always carries lots of Obama buttons to give out.

I couldn't be more proud!

San Francisco in September #3: the Murals in the Mission

Perhaps our most favorite part of my Mom and my trip to San Francisco last month was a mural tour we took in the Mission put together by Precita Eyes Mural Arts Center. Our guide's name was Jorge, a kind and gentle spirit who told the stories behind the murals that we felt so lucky to hear.

One of the first murals we saw was called "Solidarity: Breaking Down Barriers" and was painted by youth in the Mission. It was dedicated "from the heart of the Mission to the barriers around the world that separate our families... la lucha continua!" Here are three pictures of it:







We saw several pieces by this artist whose name I regrettably cannot remember. This piece is called "The Immigrant" and it shows a man leaving his wife and homeland for the blank TV stares of the United States.



Ultimately the immigrant is able to find his own community here, surrounded by friends and watched over by the gods of his homeland.



This next one was painted by the great muralist, Susan Kelk Cervantes, and is on the Cesar Chaves Elementary School, a lovely and welcoming school that fully integrates deaf children.



The Clarion Alley Mural Project is at least 20 individual murals that run through the alley between Mission and Valencia, parallel to 17th and 18th streets. One mural after another took my breath away. This one shows Archbishop Oscar Romero, bishop of the Poor, surrounded by community and milagros:



I loved this paint bucket heart milagros, a perfect symbol for the murals:



This alley mural shows New Orleans after Katrina. Each of the little pictures shows all sorts of things that were lost in the Storm.



At the beginning of the alley, the Virgen de Guadalupe was painted to offer protection.



If you find yourself in San Francisco for some period of time, I cannot encourage you enough to go visit the Mission and take this tour offered by Precita Eyes Gallery and get to know the district through the eyes of its artists. Read more about our San Francisco trip in my posts about the delicious food and sea lions.