Fists of Fury I

My brother-in-law, Showieb, brought it to my attention that I haven't been publishing any "fists of fury" stories. What are the "fists of fury"? Basically, they are stories of my alter-ego...an angry version of the calm Tanookie. These are stories about incompetent, stupid, and otherwise, retarded individuals who come across my path and make the eyes roll in the back of my head. Not to mention make my soul simmer...

Today, Hassan sent me on an "errand" to return a pair of chinos to Eddie Bauer (WITHOUT a reciept). He thought they were too light and he had plenty of chinos in similar colors. I was on a tight schedule because I had an eye appointment at 3pm...so I swung by Columbia Mall to return them. Oh, oh.....I should have guessed that this annoying salesperson would be there that day (A&Z, you know who I'm talking about). Let's call him "Al" in this story (no Paul Simon-pun intended).

He's this tall lanky, light-skinned AAM, who has a very annoying and potentially creepy persona about him. I tell him "Just looking" even though I was actually looking for a gift for my brother.

Anyways, I'm third in line and he's ringing up a person and trying to convince him to get an Eddie Bauer card for 10% off his purchase. Meanwhile, there are 2 other registers open and 3 other workers folding and refolding clothes...none of them have "register privileges", so it's all up to this lanky man to do my return.

All is well until, Al asks the man to see another credit card to varify his credit line. The guy asks why, seems distrustful of the whole thing, and flat-out refuses to give him the credit card. They have a small "arguement" challenging why do they have to see the card, identity theft since 9/11, the government, social security cards for non-citizens, and other random flight-of-ideas. He continues to ring up the man's items, but continues to talk about why he needed to see the card. "I understand" the man repeats over and over again. Even I understand and even the man in front of me.Why couldn't he just drop the whole thing? AGGGGGHHHHH!

THEN, he rings up the next man who also has a return. He's returning one pair of pants that he bought and another that he received as a gift. TWO DIFFERENT TRANSACTIONS and TWO OPPORTUNITIES TO SCREW THINGS UP (I thought in my simmering head). It took him FOREVER to do the first, then for the second, he issued a store credit. "You're not giving me store credit are you?" said the crazy man. "I got this as a gift and couldn't find my size...so now you are FORCING me shop here again by giving me store credit?!" Uh-oh...two CrAzIeS at the register. They exchange a few words..."It's our store policy" vs "You don't have my size". Luckily, the manager was there and points out that he can use his store credit towards a catalog order where they may have his pant size.

This is where I start to turn into a crazy myself. Instead of the manager helping him out, Al begins to help out the man with how to use the in-store phone and place an order in the catalog.. Why is it that the ONLY man who can use the register is now on the phone with the Eddie Bauer catalog and the other workers are refolding shirts?!?!?! If I were the Incredible Hulk, I would be turning green and ripping my shirt (calm down, fellas).

At this point, on the inside, I am furious and my simmer is now a full-blown boil, but on the outside, my anger doesn't show as I quietly put my hand to my head and lean on the counter. Sigh.....that's all I could publicly muster!

Another worker sees my "frustration" and takes me to another counter...the return is done quickly, efficiently, AND thankfully without an incessant offer to save 10% by opening an Eddie Bauer card.

An Essay: My Summer Vacations

Stick a fork into my summer because it is done...well done. Yesterday was the first day of classes in grad school. I'm not sad that my summer is over because its my LAST semester before graduation! Despite summer classes and clinicals, Has and I were able to get away and enjoy our summer.

WILLIAMSBURG, VA

That was our first trip for the summer...we did the "colonial" thing that included a haunted lantern tour and visiting all the local craftsman throughout the village. The picture to the right is the original Governor's mansion who was from England. It took some getting used to the fact that Colonial Williamsburg was pre-Independence Day times.

What was even better was the outlet shopping and visiting all the neat little stores in the fake "colonial" areas! We also made time to go to Bush Gardens which we both enjoyed...according to Has, my behavior was MUCH IMPROVED on the rollercoasters. (A&Z can testify to that!) I tend to scream a lot to fight through the terror, but he puts it simply, "You go insane on rollercoasters. "


KILL DEVIL HILLS, NC (aka OBX)

This was by FAR the most relaxing trip out of the three. Despite a very long and painful ride down to NC (we were listening to Has' Trick Daddy CD), it was worth it. We were on the beach by 3 pm and the weather was perfect! The waves were enormous and the current in the ocean was so strong! Has loved it though...swimming like trout upstream. I was too afraid of the current, especially after a wave completely backhanded me and I tumbled and scraped myself on the sand. So I spent the day sitting on the shore, collecting shells, reading my RealSimple mag, and my favorite........sleeping on the beach!

The beach house that you see is not the one we stayed at...I wish! These multi-million dollar beachfront homes are available for rent by the week. Some millionaire buys the house, then makes money off of it by having rental companies rent out these houses all year long. What a great idea! Every fully-furnished home consists of 7-9 bedrooms, game rooms, elevators, and heated pools PLUS beach front! Definitely keep this in mind for our next "couples" trip!

We ate dinner at an all-you-can-eat seafood buffet. As Rachel Ray on the Food Network puts it , "YUM-O!" The king crab legs were awesome as were the mussels. Saw "Wedding Crashers" for my first time, Has' second time...that was hilarious! Then we ate strawberry cheesecake ice cream at the "Fat Cat", drove up the strip listening to Dave Matthews' "American Baby" with the breeze of the ocean in our car, then finally walked on the beach at night. Awwww......

Oh, the thing about Trick Daddy, just kidding! But it was a hot trip!


BOSTON, MA

I loved this city! If we could live in any city...Boston in the summer would be it. Note that I say in the summer because I know this place is FREEZING in the winter. This is the perfect city because everything is within walking distance and there is so much to see, so much to eat, and so much to shop!

We traveled with our good friends Aamir & Zehra...good times and chilling with them always. We went to the different areas of Boston...an Iranian dinner in Beacon Hill, watched the hot-air balloon in Boston Common, ate cannoli's at Mike's Pastry in Little Italy, shopping at the Prudential Center, ate pizza at Quincy Market, ate dinner at Chinatown's Penang (YUM-O!), ate dinner at Penang AGAIN (YUM-O!), gawked at Harvard (not impressed), saw R2-D2 from the Charles River, saw the "Cheers" building, and saw "The 40-Year Old Virgin" (HiLaRiOuS!).

We also did the Duck Tour of Boston which took us everywhere in Boston including the Charles River. This amphibious vehicle was BOTH a tour bus and boat as it barrelled into the river at full speed!

To say the least, this was a very enjoyable trip! The theme of this trip was GLUTTONY! We ate VERY well...our days revolved around where we could get our next meal, snack, and dessert. It was awesome! We found serendipity at Penang...we were looking for a late-night dinner close to our hotel and the concierge recommended 3 restaurants. We couldn't find any of the 3, but found Penang in a dark, old alley....glowing like a diamond in a cave!

Energon Cubes

Back in January 2005, Has and I spent a long weekend in LasVegas with our friends Zehra&Aamir and Sarah&Kamran. We had an AWESOME time as a group: seeing Cirque duSoleil's "Ka", eating out late in the Venetian, watching the Bellagio fountains, Alladin's brunch buffet, and riding NewYork, NewYork's rollercoaster.

What was even better was sharing each other's HILARIOUS stories during dinner one night. With permission from my husband, I share with you one of those conversations. Kamran, you reminded me of it! LOL!

When I first met Hassan, this is what he reminded me of in progression of cuteness and possible accuracy (thanks for being a good sport, Has!):


Worf (from Star Trek: The Next Generation)






Optimus Prime, hence the title, "Energon Cubes"





Christopher Lambert (from the "Highlander" series)







and finally...... Carlos (from "Desperate Housewives")!

Part 1: "I thought I recognized you! "

My husband always teases me about my "gift" in recognizing people in public and putting myself in awkward situations. Unfortunately, it is not always, actually, it has never come to my advantage. What I intend to be a friendly encounter with a "familiar face" has consistently resulted in an embarrassing situation that at times could be considered public harrassment. So I share with you, from the depths of my ego, two true tales of "mistaken identity" followed by a story that resulted in the redemption of my ego.

Anybody else out there that shares this terrifying gift?

Story 1: I was at the bank located conveniently in my local grocery store. I was standing in line patiently waiting my turn. Knowing I was next to be seen, I glanced up to see who was in front of me. At the bank counter was a tall woman dressed in gym clothes wearing a Louis Vuitton backpack (hey, I'm a woman!). I immediately "recognized" her and smiled. As she finished up, she turned to me and smiled. BINGO! She recognized me too! I quickly finished up my business at the bank counter and walked confidently towards her. In the tomato section of the grocery store, I mustered up the strength to say hello to her and attempt to extract out the fact that we knew each other.

I excitedly said: "I thought I recognized you! You look familiar to me. "
Tall woman with Louis bag reluctantly said: "Hello? "
Disappointed that she did not share my enthusiasm: "I'm a nurse at Maryland. Wasn't your child there recently? " (health professionals cringe)
She said: "No, I don't think so. "
I insisted: "At Maryland...UMMS in downtown?"
She reiterated: "No, I don't think so. "
Desperately reaching: "5th floor, D-wing?"
The diva in her said: "Mmm...mmm"
I persisted: "You just look SO familiar to me. " (intently thinking)
She said: "Yeah, you too. " (frowning)

I awkwardly walked away from this "stranger" whom I thought I knew. Was she lying to me? Did she not want others to know that her child was in the hospital? I myself was bewildered and embarrassed. Not only had I publicly harrassed this woman that smiled at me, but I had violated HIPPA policy!

I quickly retrieved my grocery items and successfully dodged another awkward encounter with this woman. As I was driving home and pulling in front of our house, it dawned on me that I DID know this woman. She was in fact MY NEXT DOOR NEIGHBOR 3 HOUSES DOWN.

My husband found this story so entertaining and humorous...another one down for the books! And not to mention a neighbor that thinks I'm crazy.

Annie's Super Moist Chocolate Cake

I can't take the credit for this super-moist chocolate cake that contains NO OIL. This recipie was given to me from my nursing school friend/PICU co-worker, Annie, who is now in St. Louis with her husband and son. Thanks, Annie!

Super Moist Chocolate Cake

1 box Devil's Food Cake (moist version is fine)
1 small box of instant chocolate pudding
1 egg
1 3/4 cup of milk
1/2 (5oz) package of milk chocolate chips (optional)

Mix all of the above together and fold in chocolate chips.
Pour into a greased Bundt pan
Cook at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes or until knife comes out clean

Enjoy!

What is Tanookie78?

Wondering where I thought of the name Tanookie78?

"78": easy to figure out...stand for my birth year 1978. So that makes me 27, huh? Darn.

"Tanookie": think back to the late 1980s and early 1990s...remember Nintendo? Super Mario 3?

In this third installment of Super Mario Brothers, Mario could turn into different characters that possessed certain powers. There was "Frog Mario" who could swim underwater for longer periods of time in that water levels. Then there was "Raccoon Mario" who could fly farther by spinning his cute raccoon tail. Finally, there was "Tanookie Mario". He was a breed between Raccoon Mario and a bear(Pooh Bear?). He was a tan, pudgy animal with a tail and cute little ears. Not only could he fly like Raccoon Mario, but he could turn into stone for brief periods (therefore avoiding the attacks from enemies in the Mushroom Kingdom).

I thought he was a cute little animal with a cute little name. Looking back now, he resembled "Pikachu" from Pokemon, whom I thought was really cute. And now there's Murry...my real-life Tanookie/Pikachu!

Mom's Artichoke Dip

Going to a BBQ today and for those of you out there who want to try out a new recipie, here is my mom's artichoke dip. Quick and easy, but restaurant quality!

1 can artichoke hearts (non-marinated)
1 cup mayo
1 cup parmesean cheese

Coarsely chop artichoke hearts. Mix all the above together. Bake at 350 degrees until the top is bubbly and browned (about 30-45 minutes). Eat with your favorite crackers; especially good with Wheat Thins or Ritz Crackers.

You can make variations to this recipie:
1) Try one package of frozen spinach and add another cup of mayo and 1/2 cup of parmesean cheese.
2) Scoop out a bread boule and add it right into the middle for a nice presentation!

My Blog

Well....it's been a while since I have written in a "diary" type of log. Kinda weird, but familiar as well. I've been meaning for a while to type out my thoughts whether on computer or on paper, but have been too lazy or perhaps afraid of what might happen. I can see myself getting addicted to this....do I really have the time? I'll think of it as stress therapy/scrapbooking! How fun!

A picture of Murry...you can see that I am not very productive studying with him around. So CUUUTE!