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About Ramblings of a Hopeless Khowaga

Welcome to my Web site. My name is Chris, and I’ll be your host. I\'m an opinionated, snarky, gay academic with a predilection for the history, the Arab world, languages, photography, food, and music. I live in Austin, Texas. You can read more about me, learn 100 random things about me, and if you’re wondering what the heck a khowaga is, click here. Feel free to browse, read, and leave comments!

Tag: ‘Music’



Contradicting myself

Thursday, January 29th, 2009

I found this meme on Matt‘s blog.  I am feeling uninspired today, so I have stolen it.  Bwa ha! And yes, that kind of contradicts my post yesterday. My blog. Shut up.

The rules are these: bold the items you’ve done; don’t bold items you haven’t done.  Sticking to my principles, I shall not tag anyone for the meme, but let me know if you do it!

1.Started your own blog. Um … hello?

2. Slept under the stars.  If tents count, yeah.

3. Played in a band. I was a band geek in middle school.

4. Visited Hawaii. Yes!  I want to go back.

5. Watched a meteor shower .  Saw one fall over the pyramids.  That was cool.

6. Given more than you can afford to charity. I give to charity, but never that much. I’m too nervous about money.

7. Been to Disney World / Land. Been to Disney World a couple of times. Never as an adult, though.

8. Climbed a mountain. I climbed Mt. Sinai in the dark. Won’t do it again.

9. Held a praying mantis.

10. Sang a solo. I was in musical theater in high school. Interestingly enough, this was before I knew I was gay.

11. Bungee jumped.

12. Visited Paris. Unless Charles deGaulle Airport counts, no.

13. Watched a lightning storm at sea. I don’t think so? I know there have been storms while we’ve been at sea, but can’t recall watching the lightning.

14. Taught yourself an art from scratch.

15. Adopted a child. Does Mocha count?

16. Had food poisoning.

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty. Every time I’ve been there, it’s been closed.

18. Grown your own vegetables. Yep. Sometimes I even remember to harvest them before they rot, too.

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France.

20. Slept on an overnight train. I slept on the train from Aswan to Cairo. On the way from Cairo to Luxor I was awake most of the night because I had never traveled through Middle Egypt and wanted to see all the places I hadn’t ever been. Considering it was an overnight train, this was perhaps not the easiest thing to do.

21. Had a pillow fight. In college. Broke my little finger.

22. Hitch hiked.

23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill. “Wow, Chris must be sick. I heard him getting on a plane.”

24. Built a snow fort. Um, yeah.

25. Held a lamb.

26. Gone skinny dipping. Interestingly, I don’t think I have.

27. Run a Marathon.

28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice.

29. Seen a total eclipse. Not a total one, but near total.

30. Watched a sunrise or sunset. Yep.

31. Hit a home run. Not officially–I had a friend who was into softball as a kid, and we played a lot, but always in the vacant lot. Who can say if they were homers?

32. Been on a cruise. With Ray to the Yucatan twice, and on the Nile.

33. Seen Niagara Falls in person. Once you’ve seen it, there’s no real reason to go back.

34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors. I’ve been to Greece and met the extended family but have not yet made it to the place where either grandparent was born.

35. Been to Amish community. Northeast Ohio.

36. Taught yourself a new language. I taught myself Swedish. Everything else I had to take a class for.

37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied. Is that even possible?

38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person.

39. Gone rock climbing. I did one of those walls in a gym once. Does that count?

40. Seen Michelangelo’s David.

41. Sung karaoke.

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt. When I was a kid. I’d love to go back to Yellowstone.

43. Bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant. I’ve bought strange people meals before …

44. Visited Africa. Egypt, Morocco, Tanzania. And I’ve changed planes in Nairobi.

45. Walked on a beach by moonlight.

46. Been transported in an ambulance.

47. Had your portrait painted.

48. Gone deep sea fishing.

49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person.

50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. I saw it when landing in Paris once – does that count? Probably not.

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling. Snorkeling, in the Red Sea, very briefly. I’m not coordinated enough.

52. Kissed in the rain. Have I … ? I … oh, sweetie? Next time it rains, we need to cross this off the list.

53. Played in the mud. Aren’t four year olds genetically designed to be attracted to mud?

54. Gone to a drive-in theater.

55. Been in a movie.

56. Visited the Great Wall of China.

57. Started a business.

58. Taken a martial arts class.

59. Visited Russia.

60. Served at a soup kitchen.

61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies.

62. Gone whale watching.

63. Gotten flowers for no reason.

64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma. Not allowed to (5 year ban after malaria medication. Well, that and the other thing.)

65. Gone sky diving. Um, no.

66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp.

67. Bounced a check. Fortunately, the bank has always been good enough to cover it for me, usually for a massive fee.

68. Flown in a helicopter.

69. Saved a favorite childhood toy.

70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial. I’ve taken a nap there, too, waiting for the Fourth of July fireworks.

71. Eaten Caviar. Tastes like cold fish jelly.

72. Pieced a quilt.

73. Stood in Times Square. Years ago. I’d like to go back to New York City … when I can afford it.

74. Toured the Everglades. It gets old after a while.

75. Been fired from a job.

76. Seen the Changing of the Guard in London. Been many times, but I’ve never actually been there to see the Changing of the Guard.

77. Broken a bone. See #21.

78. Been on a speeding motorcycle.

79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person.

80. Published a book.

81. Visited the Vatican.

82. Bought a brand new car. Two, in fact.

83. Walked in Jerusalem. Got heatstroke in Jerusalem, too.

84. Had your picture in the newspaper.

85. Read the entire Bible. At this point, I probably have. Not all the way through in one sitting, tho.

86. Visited the White House.

87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating.

88. Had chickenpox. I was in kindergarten. I think I still have a scar on my right leg from it.

89. Saved someone’s life.

90. Sat on a jury.

91. Met someone famous.

92. Joined a book club. Ran a book club for a little while, in fact.

93. Lost a loved one.

94. Had a baby. I’ve had a cow.

95. Seen the Alamo in person. Not that impressive.

96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake. Seems like it would sting.

97. Been involved in a lawsuit.

98. Owned a cell phone.

99. Been stung by a bee. I have a completely unnatural fear of stinging insects.

Identity, Love, Memory

Friday, September 19th, 2008

We gathered in the evening to mark the great poet’s passing with recitation of his works that fall into the three themes he visited over and over again in his work: identity, love, memory.

My favorite moment comes when a Lebanese doctoral student stands up to read. “The reason I chose this poem is going to stay a secret,” she says by way of introduction, but it’s clear from the way she reads it–even if it is in an Arabic so flowery that I can understand every tenth word at best–that it’s a love poem. Her sweet, coquettish, almost childish reading transcends language and it is a magical moment.

The emotional height of the evening is a screening of the great musician Marcel Khalife singing a song that uses the poet’s words over his funeral. I am standing to the side, and as the final chorus begins: “Taara ya hilmi, taara (Fly, my dream, fly),” several people in the larger than expected audience begin to tear up at the emotion in his voice.

I stand among them, in that room, wondering if anyone can tell that it isn’t the emotion from the screen that’s bringing tears to my eyes, but the fact that my heart is breaking.

Video Wednesday: Kids’ Rock

Wednesday, March 26th, 2008

Ray found this last night, and as much as I hate to admit that he’s ever right about anything, this is both amusing and will get stuck in your head. You’ve been warned…

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Eros al quadrato

Sunday, October 28th, 2007

So … who lives in Italy who’s willing to send me the new Eros Ramazzotti album?

It’s Log!

Friday, September 28th, 2007

For reasons I am completely unable to determine, this song was going through my head last night, and I’m sharing the wealth. You’ve been warned :wink:

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Happy Friday!

[P.S. Look, Shin! No Arabic!! :smile: ]

 

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