Do you Smell What Maryam's 'New Friend' is Cooking?

This time of year can be a lot of fun but also a lot of pressure. From February 26- March 1st, Baha’is celebrate Ayyam-i-Ha, or the intercalary days, which are four days of celebration, charity and gift giving. My extended family, the Diliberto clan has a huge party/ gift exchange down in Southern California.
You are probably asking, where’s the pressure in that? Well, with such a large family it can be tough bringing around a new significant other….there are a lot of people in my family, and although we are very accepting and embracing there’s around thirty-six people to impress.
My sister, Maryam brought a “special friend” this year to Ayyam-i-Ha. Some of the relatives were initially put off by his intimidating looks and his borderline inappropriate dress, but by the end of the night he was really starting to fit in. He helped cook some of the food, played in the foos ball tournament, allowed Amy and Maryam to give him a makeover….we grew to love and embrace our new friend. It was overall a very successful weekend. I have included some pictures of this weekend for all of those curious folk wondering who Maryam’s new feller is.

Written While Listening to “Be Kind + Remind” by Rogue Wave

It's Only My Favorite Animal Ever

Reno, Nevada is best known for being “the biggest little city in the world.” I don’t exactly understand what that means, but what I do understand is that it is the home of an actual real life “Liger” named Hobbs. I know…. I didn’t believe it either. Thanks to my school friend Lindsey, best known for voting the majority of my class off the island for math class survivor, and confirmed by “Last Action Hero,” Jon Johnson, this crucial life changing information is true. A Liger isn’t just a fictional animal from Napoleon Dynamite. For those of you who are not brushed up with their Napoleon Dynamiteness: 1. Why aren’t you? GOSH! 2. A Liger is a mix between a male lion and a female tiger.
A new quest, rather pilgrimage has now been created…I shall drive the 158.84 miles from my house in Davis, California and brave the Sierra pass to Reno, Nevada to see Hobbs, the real life Liger.

Written While listening to "Sleeping In" by The Postal Service

Just coz im from the O.Cizzle doesnt mizzle i ciznant be a playa

For the first 12 years of my life, I was born and raised in the LBC. Much like the Fresh Prince had to leave Philly and move to Bel Air, we eventually left Long Beach and went south to “the OC.” I attribute my lack of knowledge of rap and gang warfare greatly to my parents uprooting us before I had to make the crucial decision of whether I was going to join the bloods or the crips. But, thanks to my friends at google, I can now get in touch with my gangsta roots at www.gizoogle.com Gizoogle provides us suburban folk with ebonic translations, such as Barney’s theme song:
“I love you you love me we're a stoked family witta bootylicious big hug n a kiss fizzy me ta you fo gettin yo pimp on. won't you say you love me too”
There is even an image section where if you type in “Passion of the Christ” you will get a picture of Snoop Dog wearing a crown of thorns with Snoop’s movie title “The Pazzle of the Crizzle” Enjoy my friends. Let tha procrastinizzle continue.

Written while saggin' ta "Regulator" by my ol neighbs Warren G

C.E.R.A.B.S "Coalition for Equal Rights Amongst Bocthie Speakers"

As all three devoted readers of this blog already know, I am a twin. My twin, Amy and I, have a very special bond, a bond unique and very different than any other relationship. As “wombmates”, we go through very “special” experiences that you, non-twin folk will never understand. I am very fortunate to have a fellow twinner in two of my classes this semester. Although, she appears to be more attached to her genetic clone than I, we have enjoyed talkin shop about being twins.
Amy and I were very brilliant for our age. We were so collectively innovative that Amy and I believed that the English language was beneath us and so we created our own language, “Botchie,” which was also the name given to our beloved Cabbage Patch Kids. Much like the movie Nell, starring Jodie Foster and Liam Neeson, from ages 2 to around age 5, we solely spoke “Botchie.” My older brother Randall, who was bilingual in both English and Botchie had to translate for my Dad, while my Mom knew some key Botchie phrases like: “Itcha dinka tcho noke getta Chig Oootan.” Roughly translated to English is: “Please eat the rest of your dinner or you won’t get a Fig Newton for dessert”
I guess what I’m getting at is that I have looked up the various languages that the United Nations recognizes and I’m sorry to say folks, but to my surprise too, Botchie was not recognized as a World language. Some may argue that Botchie is a dead or ancient language, but so is Latin, yet they still teach Latin in the schools. As a true English Language Learner from Botchie to English, I am spearheading this coalition and am searching the globe for at least…..four people to join me! Are you with us or against us?!?!?!

Written while Listening to "Darts of Pleasure" by Franz Ferdinand

"Over the River and Through the Woods"

"Over the River and Through the Woods"
Originally uploaded by mayshelley.

I have a few hidden talents that very few people know about...I can amazingly create a perfect mental map of any city I've ever been to and like a knitting sweatshop, I can produce knitted booties with the snap of the fingers....but I have also dabbled in 35mm black and white photography. I just bought a scanner on clearance this week and have started to scan my photo portfolio onto my computer. Here's a shot I took a year ago at my "g-ma's"

The Stars at Night are Big and Bright

Call me a dreamer, call me crazy, call me pathetic. But in one month from today, you will be calling me “the lucky gal who became rich by winning a sweepstakes.” For the last 48 days, or 1152 hours you have most likely heard me relentlessly talk about how I’m moving to Tyler, Texas because I’m going to win the HGTV.com Dream Home sweepstakes. Well today marks the last day to enter the sweepstakes, which means I’m 28 days, 592 hours or 35,520 minutes away from the producers knocking at my front door with a check for $250,000, keys to a Denali, and a house worth 1.5 million dollars. Tyler, Texas….HERE I COME!

Written while listening to Pink Bullets by The Shins

I Object! On the grounds that the prosecution has provided misleading information!

Besides the minor incident of me having to go to court to convince the Orange County Court System to drop one of my three speeding tickets within a year span, there aren’t too many reasons for me to willingly hang out in a closed room of future lawyers. Within the past few days I’ve noticed posters around campus advertising the pre-law clubs informational session with free Woodstock’s Pizza. The only thing greater than my loathing of argumentative people is my love for free things, so last night I dressed up in my most intelligent looking outfit and even wore non-prescription glasses and made the one block trek to campus in the rain with a goal of getting a free dinner. When we arrived we circumnavigated the room to check out how many people showed up and more importantly how much free pizza the pre-law peeps forked out for this event. As I peaked through a window I was astonished to find only one empty box of pizza. Granted we were 3 minutes late, but still! If you are going to advertise a free dinner….darn it...you better have enough free dinner even for the people who are willing to sit through an hour long informational meeting. So what did I learn from all of this? That tonight I better arrive early to the free ice cream pre-med informational meeting.

Written while listening to Homesick by Kings of Convenience

It should just be called "S.A.D"

On this glorious day of St. Valentine, I appropriately start my very first blog entry. As I was walking to class on this muggy morning, cruising along while listening to my ipod, I couldn't help but notice the couples around me holding hands, with their coordinating pink and red outfits mocking my single existence....I couldn't help be reminded of my current state of singlehood. Don't get me wrong...I love my singleness, or at least pretend to. So...i started to brainstorm for alternative Valentine's Day names and I came up with these....
1. "Single Appreciation Day"....after thinking about this name, i immediately threw it out. Single's are NOT appreciated at all on this day, even Hallmark doesn't recognize singlehood on Feb. 14. You can never find a "thinking about you my platonic single friend" card.
2. "Single Depreciation Day"....this one made a little more sense to me. Year after year.... my depreciation is slowly going down. This holiday marks one more year of me losing my value.
3. "Single Awareness Day" Perfect! That's exactly what this is....February 14th isn't about being in love...it's a reminder to all of those who are not in love that they are alone.
So from this day forth, February 14th shall not be referred to as St. Valentine's Day, rather Happy Single Awareness Day!

While listening to L-O-V-E by Al Green