AARDVARK SAUCE IS WHERE ITS AT. HAND DIGGITY DOWN.

a big ups to ellie saldana for sending us our crack. you haven't lived until you've had secret aardvark hot sauce from pee-dee-exxx. truly the best thing to happen to my tastebuds. [its habanero hot sauce]

you can get yer own here.

FLAKJAKT + RAH RAH = BAHA'IS ROCK

TWO BANDS. both with awesome Baha'i musicians. one is RAH RAH - which is my oldest friend, Leif's band from Regina, Sask. they're awesome and i posted their video before and now i'll post it again cos it fits so well with FLAKJAKT's video. the second is FLAKJAKT. i don't know flakjakt personally, though he is a mutual friend of many of mine...and he's a Baha'i. my dear friends, if you don't know already, Baha'is ROCK. they are so inspirational, creative, positive and working towards the betterment of society everyday in their own ways. this is one way i believe, steve failows of FLAKJAKT is bettering society = with dope ars music videos- one of the best i've seen all year...beautifully shot with really crisp and clean picture... thanks, flakjakt & marty martin for doing something radical!!

First Official iPhone 4 Music Video - flakjakt "Cascades" from Marty Martin. themartymartin.com on Vimeo.

Here is RAH RAH and i just adore this song so much, as i adore Leifer - big ups, my main man:

more on the Baha'i Faith here: www.bahai.org

this is what happens when you trip on drugs in nature =

many of you hip people have are probably already hip to this dude and his video. i, not being as hip as most of you, didn't catch this youtube clip until today via baktash via geoff. and i have to say it is LITERALLY one of the funniest things i have ever ever seen.

this is mainly for elise, peefy, raymond, sasha, PJ, jesse, logie & my dear sweet brother, namo. and most of you listed above are so much more hip than me, that you have probably already laughed/cried at this.

dear readers, if you haven't seen this -- PLEASE I BEG YOU TO GLUE YOUR HIP EYES AND EARS TO THIS CLIP UNTIL THE END. ALL THE WAY THROUGH, NO IFSANDSORBUTTS.

denver is fun

we went to denver to celebrate our one year anniversary. romantic? yes. our dream destination? no. fun as hell? hell yesh. when you live in rural south dakota and stare at golden waving prairies and puffy thick white clouds all day - anywhere seems exciting that has people WALKING around, and things that are open past 8pm, and coffee shops that know what microfoam is (i know we are snobs, but super radd coffee snobs who tip well!!), and restaurants that don't use american cheese and margarine. with extra margarine. so basically, what i am trying to say is it doesn't take much for baktash and i to be excited. so that is why denver was perfect. not to mention it is a surprisingly awesome hip city! we DUG it!!

here are some shots of our weekend there. HOW FORTUITOUS WAS IT THAT ON OUR ANNVIERSARY DAY WE WENT AND ATE AT AN OVERLY POPULATED HIPSTER JOINT THAT HAD A WORKING PHOTOBOOTH?!?!??! i think very.

we even managed to find a persian grocery store!! torshi and doogh come to us!! woot-woot!!
you can't see what i am holding/displaying, but it is a ashtray that is a dragon and a naked woman in love. it is really awesome and disgusting, to say the least.
the best coffee shop in denver with the sweetest, nicest owner, noah who started this shop 9 months ago. we loved it. a must try if you are ever in denver.
this photo is rad & one of my faves, even though the guy taking it was so nervous that it made us somewhat blurry. sigh. thanks anyway, nervous dude.

♥

facts

1. FACT: though i want to, i cannot honk at drivers that make me mad because they (ALWAYS) turn out to be senior citizens.

2. FACT: denver is an awesome city. hands down rad. [more soon]

3. FACT: my husband and i have been married for a year+ now. we are more in love now than ever.

4. FACT: i am proud to say that i didn't become some shell of an empty woman. the value of my identity has progressed into one of power, wholeness, newness, joyousness, lightheartedness.

5. FACT: my husband is the funniest person i know:

four theengs

1. live in a constant state of exploration - of your self, your environment, others, the land - this is what helps me feel connected, excited & passionate about my life.

2. have something that no matter what, you feel beautiful in. (i will have this dress one day soon, mark my words)



3. always be inspired. look for it everyday. i found he and she photography today. i am so blown away by how it is sooo parallel to my photography taste and to how i shoot / pose subjects for photos... and cannot believe that this isn't mine and baktash's wedding photography business...got me thinking...seriously...i may have to try wedding photography out for size. no joke!
3. love what you have. have a great (long) weekend!! xxx.tremie

oneyear

on july 4th we'll have been married one year. my heart is beating fast just thinking about how excited and happy i am. i love this man more than life itself. and i LOVE life, so you get my point.

regarding WONDERMENT!

"The first teaching of Baha’u'llah is the duty incumbent upon all to investigate reality. What does it mean to investigate reality? It means that man must forget all hearsay and examine truth himself, for he does not know whether statements he hears are in accordance with reality or not."

~ Abdu’l-Baha

i wanted to share with you, my dear two readers, this amazingly refreshing and wonderful TED talk. Marian Bantjes speaks about how it is so important to do whatever it is you do from your heart, your true self. i found this talk to be exceptionally inspiring as it resonated with my very core. it helped to remind me how i should be constantly inquiring with myself about what i am doing with my time, my life, my minutes, my breaths. you don't even know how much i love to hear stories of people who have found their direction, their path and their unique way to share themselves with the world. I LOVE it. hearing things like this give me faith that i am not alone in striving and focusing on a GOOD life, full of spirit, joy, laughter and light. Bantjes asks herself at one point in the talk, "what is worthwhile for my time, my life" - and i think this is something we have to ask ourselves daily. for instance, in the Baha'i Faith, as Baha'is we are meant to bring ourselves to account every morn and eve. i love that practice because it gives us that opportunity to reflect and consult with ourselves, so to speak, on what is most important and if we are following our true path(s). Daily I strive to life my life with a huge sense of WONDERMENT. i have found myself getting really frustrated or stressed out about something lately and i have been able to just tune it all out, even if for a minute, and zone out on the wind outside, or the way the light shines in the room, hearing the ocean (even from south dakota. my point is, being there, being PRESENT and acknowledging and tapping into that lovely source of wonderment that i believe - is ALWAYS there. always urging you to pay attention, take a moment and be filled with the wonder and beauty that surrounds. i believe you will all enjoy this talk, whether you consider yourself an artist or not.

i wanted to dedicate this post to my wonderful, inspiring artist girlfriends, Shirin Samimi-Moore, (Leili) Towfigh, Kylie Manning & Misha Maynerick-Blaise.



I am grateful for you all!

kylie also sent me this intersting article about guilt and creativity. you can read the entire thing here. kylie and i were just talking about the notion of "letting go" and how there is a stigma around it, rather a fear...and how sometimes i want to let go of something but then i feel i will go crazy/lose control! [I'M SO CRAZYYYY- HAHAHA!!!] but here is an excerpt i am particularly fond of:

Larry: When we really start creating, something lets go and begins to flow. It's like something takes over, and all these things that we didn't know we had inside come pouring out. But this "letting go" can be scary. A lot of people worry that they might go crazy. When we let go of the ego we may feel as if we don't have any control. But eventually the flow will stop, and the ego will come back. It's like a cork that bobs down, and then bobs back up. The same thing happens when we dream: the ego goes to sleep, and the unconscious begins to flow. Writers and artists literally dream while they're awake by diminishing the ego. The only difference between the creative process and insanity is that the ego leaves and never comes back.

and...another:

Larry: Aloneness is much more than the presence or absence of others. We can be in a crowd, or with another person, and feel lonely. Overcoming loneliness is much more about getting in connection with ourselves. We're lonely because there's a part of ourselves that we keep "in the dungeon," so to speak. When we feel loneliness, it's that "jailed" part of ourselves that we're feeling. But we'll always be lonely if we think someone else can solve our loneliness.

Pythia: You also write that when we're in the act of creating, we don't feel lonely or guilty.

Larry: That's because when we're being creative the lonely parts of ourselves come out for air and join us. The main process by which we become whole is to bring the (inner) orphans out of the orphanage, and the (inner) prisoners out of the prison. This is the way authentic, creative work makes us whole.

what's your favorite part of the TED talk?
what about the article?

what does it make you think about?

[this was taken this weekend when baktash and i were driving back from an awesome swimming hole. this storm was INSANEEEEE!!]

hard to the core

i snagged this from sasha via peef's page.
thanks buddy.

is this NOT THE craziest thing you've seen???

this is really sad, BUT his twirling skillz are madd crazy.

you spell team: b-a-y-b-e-e-z

[click on images to make them larger...still trying to figure out why my blogger templates don't publish photos LARGE...any suggestions??]

as many of you know, life can be so damn challenging sometimes- where to live, where to work, where to breathe, where to settle and call a place home. transitions, adjustments, changes out of your control, opportunities abound...long story short- life can be hard at times. and i am so lucky to be able to have a teammate in all of this- one that is so devoted, positive, loving and fun. things are so much easier with my husband around, by my side, making me laugh.

we have our 1 year anniversary coming up. so pumped.
♥
NOTE: some are speculating that this is insinuating that we are having a child. NO WE ARE NOT PREGNANT. i repeat - NO BAYBEEZ BUT BAKTASH AND I (that is our nickname - the baybeez). ya'll crack me up!! ;)

INSPIRATION STATION

Be always kind to everyone and a refuge for those who are without shelter. Be daughters to those who are older than you. Be sisters to those who are of your own age. Be mothers to those who are younger than yourselves. Be nurses to the sick, treasurers for the poor, and supply heavenly food to the hungry.

~ ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

SWOOOOON!!

SOMEWHERE THE MOVIE by sofia coppola - out december:

reminder to all you lovely peeps out there:

| quote from: http://nobodyatthewheel.tumblr.com/ |

TWO THINGS.

1. a secret:

2. a funny reminder: