An Urban Girl

I am sure you already know about BOL Park . But I am always the last person to find out about things.  And I only have myself to blame.  I just get so attached and loyal to places and things I already know and love, I don't even notice new things.   And that makes me a "Late Adopter" according to the Internet industry, and something probably quite worse if I were to ask a shrink.   The only exception to this rule is in the case of cafés and restaurants and bakeries and wine bars and cozy hotel lobbies, where I am a devout seeker of the latest and the greatest. Back to BOL Park though.  Six or so years ago I was walking on a path near my home and I ran into a friend jogging.  After a quick greeting she told me that if I continued on this path a little ways, it would turn into a beautiful walkway and I will see two donkeys.  But when a mile or so down the road I didn't see a beautiful walkway or any sign of donkeys, I walked back, sure that I had misunderstood m

I definitely believe that Heaven is right here on earth.  All else held constant, lovely people can certainly make our days and lives feel heavenly.  One of my all time cutest girlfriends,  caught me right off guard when she told me some months ago she was expecting a little boy.    This particular girl is one of those heaven makers.  Whenever I spend time with her, I feel like I am floating at least a few inches off the ground.  I am not exaggerating.  She has charm and sweetness and a very cute smile.  She is always adorned in the frilliest, daintiest dresses, and the prettiest heart shaped jewelries you have seen.  She loves bows.  She is crafty and talented.  She loves anything french and always throws out the cutest french words at you like candy.  And people like that, it is so much fun to celebrate them.  Especially when everything looks baby blue, and french, and decadent...  wish you were there.

  My thoughts come back quite often to my life's work.   My days seem to be full with activities, appointments, play time, homework, culinary pursuits, dishes and laundry, and other such responsibilities that list under the job descriptions of Full-Time Mom to a Toddler and Mistress to an Urban Household.  And then there is the time I spend on spiritual renewal during "alone" times (nap time and when my girl is at preschool).  This humble spirit renews itself through reading novels, magazines and wikipedia, watching re-runs of Sex in the City, blogging, reading cookbooks, and on special occasions staring at the lovely California sky sitting in a cafe or on my balcony.    There is also the investment of time into good friendships and keeping in touch with my family in Vancouver and abroad.  Then there is my the deep religious belief that the hours between eight p.m. to six a.m. are sacred, and should only be devoted to fun and restful activities. So, when thoughts abo

Our sinuses finally cleared up and with it so did the weather around here. My girl and I feel liberated and want to do it all... Lunches on the patio, listening to French music, hikes on gorgeous trails, shopping for pretty polka dot paper, visiting cowboy towns (Woodside) and strolling through pretty little shops... giggling and giggling... Two Thousand Eleven, Here We Come (a little late but no less enthusiastic). To Joie de vivre my friends!

  http://pages.teamintraining.org/sj/sfhalf11/tparang#My-Fundraising-Page Last night, for the 12th night in a row I was up at 3:00 am, unable to sleep from congestion due to the peskiest sinus infection and cold ever. I am doing all the right things: hot showers and baths, steam, tea, lemon, honey, Saline drips, and even a round of antibiotics... but it feels like cement has been poured into my sinus cavity, and it has now hardened into a rock. Sitting propped up on a bunch of pillows and trying to fight the illness induced insomnia, thoughts started pouring into my head.... "I feel so fatigued." "Why did we have to start the new year this way?" "And my poor sweet girl too - sick for just as long as I, and all cooped up in the house..." "Dear god please make us better by tomorrow, at the latest..." "No Way we'll be better by tomorrow... it would take a miracle for our sinuses to clear up from where we are now... this could

Proper Persian Breakfast: Sweetened Black Tea with Bread, Feta and Walnuts For more years than I care to count, I have avoided sugar like the plague. I have sweetened my tea or coffee with artificial sweeteners. Of course I have consumed plenty of it in chocolates and cakes and deserts of all sorts.   But I assure you I have only done so with the same vigor of an alcoholic about to fall off the wagon.... Except for the year of Pig.  That year I was pregnant with the UrbanToddler.  And probably due to her wonderful effects on me, I enjoyed in perfect moderation all things good and natural. For years, my mother, my father and my Mr. Urban have fiercely lobbied me to Just Eat Sugar. So this year, eating sugar made it to my list of new year wishes for myself. On January One, I poured some organic sugar into a vintage sugar bowl my grandmother had once given me.  I got a silver sugar spoon from Sur La Table for it.  And each day since I have ceremoniously put I teaspoon of s

Under the Christmas tree was a rather large silver box addressed to no one.   There it sat patiently as all the other gifts were opened by the Urbans. Later on when the excitement of unwrapping and opening had died down a little, Mr. Urban picked up the box and brought it over to me, "Santa seems to have left one more present under the tree for you".  I opened the lid and there inside was an old T-shirt of his.  Wrapped inside that was an ipad.  I thought it was really sweet.  Hugs.  Kisses.  And after a moment of silence and gratitude all gifts were put away to get ready for our Christmas dinner. UrbanMom: "I wonder why Santa got me an Eyepad?     UrbanToddler: Cool, my own Ipad! The next morning I awoke to an empty bed and an empty box of ipad on my bedside table.  A little while later Mr. Urban, sweet as ever, told me that he had set up the ipad for me.  "Great, I guess I'll put him back now in his special place" I said. The days that follow

Around this time of the year, roasted vegetables are my go to winter food.  They are super easy to prepare in the oven, splashed with a little bit of olive oil, grainy salt and pepper and perhaps some fresh herbs.  As simple as they are to prepare, they usually come out looking like a labor of love, tanned, gorgeously golden,  deliciously caramelized, demanding respect from even the biggest veggie averse diners round your table.  One disclaimer though: I have come to learn that most food theories do not always apply to Toddlers...  Since Christmas and Thanksgiving are so close to each other in the U.S., and since we celebrated both of these holidays at our place with Mr. Urban's mother and brothers, I knew that the "old Turkey and Works" won't cut it a second time around for Christmas dinner. It has taken me a long time to persuade "the Team" that turkeys can be beautiful if dressed properly.  That vegetables today are no longer your steamed frozen me

The holidays swept through the Urban household faster than I could have imagined or written about. s oft dates rolled in ground coconut stuck with a sliver of parmigiano reggiano cheese Staying in Los Altos gave us a chance to connect to friends over long lingering meals.  Sixteen dinner parties to be exact (counting Christmas and New Years).  And since many of these gatherings took place around our beloved dining table, it gave me a chance to try and have fun with new cook books, recipes, and food blogs.  It gave Mr. Urban a chance to experiment with countless bottles of Califrnia wines.  And it gave our girl a chance to socialize and hone her vocal skills.  She can not get enough of singing jingle bells.  And the only thing she loves more, is to sing it in front of an audience, sporting her beloved Santa hat. At the beginning of the holidays, our book club selected a rather gargantuan hardcover, The Help, as our next selection.  Against my warnings I might add.  The book is a