November 30, 2005
by sholeh
3 Comments
Finals upcoming. Next Thursday I will be done with college.
Weird.
DC conference was awesome…family, friends, etc. Music all over the place. I acquired a nasty cold on Sunday, but am fighting it with all of my strength. I keep falling asleep randomly. *sigh*
Wish I could write something vaguely interesting, but I have two finals and a 15 page paper to work on, so I have to concentrate on that.
November 23, 2005
by sholeh
2 Comments
these sounds assault my ears
in joyful thumps and rings
I’ll tap my feet in time
I’ll take the rhythm
stash it away in my head
to walk along the corridors
snapping my fingers
and twitching my toes.
I’m leaving until Monday night to go to DC. I’ll see family, spend time with dear friends, and go to an amazing conference. I’m pretty excited. East Coast here I come!
November 17, 2005
by sholeh
10 Comments
I drank eggnog tonight from Oberweis, it felt like a sin. mmm. I used to hate the stuff, but I come home to my parents house and it is calling me from the refrigerator:
“Shooooleh, come drink me, I’m eggy and sugary and oh-so-yummy!”
Then it giggles maniacally.
I’m taking my little sister to see the new Harry Potter movie this weekend. I won’t deny it: I’m excited.
I don’t like the holidays (too much materialism, and I don’t celebrate Christmas), but I do like how things are all decorated at the stores. Stores should be decorated year-round. But then I guess it wouldn’t be special, would it?
November 15, 2005
by sholeh
3 Comments
(October 2005: Chicago, IL)
This is what they meant
when speaking in rhymes.
No fan of riddles, am I.
But in something they said
in the way it was read
spoke to me in symphony,
the harmony did not join,
I was left in misery
for a moment in time.
Why do these things always remind me
of things gone and lost and slipped away?
Rewinding back to where I first saw this
the beginning of my awakened state
desperately reaching for the one thing,
the only thing, I think
that will hold me up past the sunset…
November 8, 2005
by sholeh
9 Comments
1. I learned that the pollution is so bad that it can affect your skin.
2. Shopping is fantastic.
3. Flowers bloom in November.
4. The Pacific Ocean at sunset is awesome.
5. You can wear flip-flops in November.
6. It IS possible to think and stand on a rock at the same time.
November 2, 2005
by sholeh
4 Comments
I have been to 38 states (including D.C.) in the USA. As of Thursday, I will have been to 39. I am taking a little vacation Thursday-Monday to Los Angeles to visit my best friend.
Some of you may be thinking, “Wow, Sholeh, how have you visited so many states?”
The answer lies in the simple fact that my parents love to travel, and we took many road trips all over the USA. My mother is definitely fearless, taking us in caves in Kentucky and North Carolina. My father would take us on hikes through the woods. Now that I am old enough to travel by myself, my parents encourage me to do so. My road trips to Louhelen Baha’i School and Minnesota with friends are some of my fondest memories in the last few years.
Now, if only I can get my studying done for my midterm tomorrow, and get packed…
October 25, 2005
by sholeh
5 Comments
I’ll walk down to where I saw the beautiful things and lit up faces falling down in beautiful symmetry, pausing to reflect on exactly what brought this interaction here.
Writing is my escape to worlds no one can follow, except to trail behind in murmurings beyond my control.
Taking steps through places and around to parts of the pieces of my soul, beyond beyond and above.
I’ll take pictures to keep track of memories, pictures with my eyes to save in my mind, to save in my heart.
Detachment from one two three things, counting down as I check them off, and more come to the list but I welcome it.
Take me down, love, down to the places we used to play as children, wiping those tears and making dreams out of tree leaves and summer sun.
I’ll write on paper about all of the things I used to know and feel, and they’ll know the strength of my bravery in the face of what the world means.
Whisper to keep close the blessing of knowing what it is to live at this moment, to serve in this way, purity of thought and motive…we’re circling around one step after another after another.
I’ll see you at the end, and we’ll walk down to the paths we know well, at the edge of a new place, to face a new creation.
We’ll call it home.
October 22, 2005
by sholeh
7 Comments
Perhaps you don’t see the smile when I hear a song
or my laughter when I realize nothing’s wrong.
Maybe I read just a little bit much
or write things that make me seem sad and such,
I hold close the parts that make me real
that show you how I truly feel.
It is easy to think I am caught in a place, turning in circles because I can’t get out of being down. It is easy to get into that mode where nothing is right and while you acknowledge the good things around you, you chew on the wrong things to work them through.
Sometimes you’re the only sound I hear
this is a whisper in my heart
drawing me ever near
and I’m waiting to wake up
from this beautiful space
where my dreams and yours
are conversations in place.
(From apple-picking!)
October 19, 2005
by sholeh
1 Comment
“O maidservant of God! Thy letter dated 9 December 1918 was received. Its contents were noted. Never lose thy trust in God. Be thou ever hopeful, for the bounties of God never cease to flow upon man. If viewed from one perspective they seem to decrease, but from another they are full and complete. Man is under all conditions immersed in a sea of God’s blessings. Therefore, be thou not hopeless under any circumstances, but rather be firm in thy hope.”
-‘Abdu’l-Bahá
Chicago from Lake Shore Drive at night…
October 15, 2005
by sholeh
9 Comments
I am eating pistachios and drinking doogh (yogurt soda).
yee-haw. (That was the southern part of me coming out.)
October 13, 2005
by sholeh
6 Comments
Read this: Doctors challenge baby feeding myths
Some excerpts:
“There’s a bunch of mythology out there about this,” says Dr. David Bergman, a Stanford University pediatrics professor. “There’s not much evidence to support any particular way of doing things.”
—
As research increasingly suggests a child’s first experiences with food shape later eating habits, doctors say battling obesity and improving the American diet may mean debunking the myths and broadening babies’ palates.
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Parents elsewhere in the world certainly take a more freewheeling approach, often starting babies on heartier, more flavorful fare — from meats in African countries to fish and radishes in Japan and artichokes and tomatoes in France.
—
The difference is cultural, not scientific, says Dr. Jatinder Bhatia, a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ nutrition committee who says the American approach suffers from a Western bias that fails to reflect the nation’s ethnic diversity.
Interesting! I am not surprised by this, but it is good to find something like this on CNN.
THOUGHTS?
October 11, 2005
by sholeh
3 Comments
but then I didn’t know what to say.
Starting with: No one really knows what I am thinking. Obvious, sure. But what I mean is that even if you think that you understand, I’m almost guaranteed to have left something out. I’m starting to confuse myself now, too. 
Also, I want to leave (this may or may not be related to the above paragraph). I want to go somewhere no one knows me. This may mean the middle of a jungle in South America or a desert in Africa. At this point, I really don’t care.
I have a midterm in 4 1/2 hours, and I am afraid to fall asleep, because I worry that I’ll not hear my alarm and miss the test.
Wish I was more coherent. Yay cryptic 5 am entries!
October 7, 2005
by sholeh
1 Comment
Things can get repetitive in business…you hear the same terms, snazzy fads, and tired lingo over and over. In order to keep myself from going crazy while reading my finance, strategic orgs, and operations management texts, I decided to find the humor in them. They’re actually really good textbooks…but they’re textbooks nonetheless.
$____$____$____$____$____$____$____$____$____$
“The name of the game is competition. The playing field is global. Those who understand how to play the game will succeed; those who don’t are doomed to failure.”
-Operations Management, Chapter 2
Sometimes, things are vocabulary words that would seem to be common sense:
failure- situation in which a product, part, or system does not perform as intended.
recycling- recovering materials for future use.
$____$____$____$____$____$____$____$____$____$
“…what do we mean by the long run? As a famous economist once remarked, in the long run, we’re all dead!”
- Essentials of Corporate Finance, Chapter 1
“When looking at an income statement, unusual expenses should be excluded, but it appears that you should examine unusual expenses with unusual skepticism.”
- Essentials of Corporate Finance, Chapter 3
$____$____$____$____$____$____$____$____$____$
Basically, I could go on and on…but you get the idea. I love being a business major.
October 5, 2005
by sholeh
2 Comments
Am I true to myself
when I refuse to bare my soul to the world?
Maybe my way is more subtle
and leaves people guessing
at meanings and stories
behind the words I put on paper.
Sometimes I wish I could place
the burdens of my heart
out for the million’s vastness to see
to pick apart, analyze, judge, and
then leave behind.
It might make for some peace of mind.
You don’t know how serious I can be,
beyond the drama.
Oh yes, I used to be a dreamer,
these thoughts beyond quiet superstition
into realms of reality
far less keen.
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I wanted to take pictures today of all of the different kinds of people I saw passing me on the street. Part of the beauty of living in a large city in America…every person you pass looks drastically different. Beautiful!! I feel spoiled that this is my vantage point every day.
There is construction behind and in front of my house right now. This morning I went to unlock my bike from the back patio and found it completely covered in construction dust. Also, they had to move a truck to let me out into the alley. ahh the power when tiny me has the ability to make trucks move out of my way! 
October 3, 2005
by sholeh
4 Comments
http://denial.bahai.org
Read this. Whether you’re a Baha’i or not…if you’ve ever had access to higher education, even if you didn’t take advantage of it…you’re luckier than the Baha’i youth in Iran.
The government has used a very simple mechanism to exclude Bahá’ís from higher education: it has simply required that everyone who takes the national university entrance examination declare their religion. And applicants who indicate other than one of the four officially recognized religions in Iran — Islam, Christianity, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism — are excluded.
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Like young people everywhere, Bahá’í youth in Iran desperately desire the opportunities and insights that come with higher education. This is especially so because the teachings of their faith stress the importance of knowledge and learning — and because those same teachings also emphasizes the importance of contributing to society at large.
Over the last 25 years, the only source of protection and encouragement for the Iranian Bahá’í community has been international concern, as expressed through the United Nations, by governments, and in the news media.
One can only hope that the world’s academic leaders will now follow suit in protesting the blatantly unjust oppression that continues to confront the young people of Iran’s Bahá’í community.
September 30, 2005
by sholeh
5 Comments
Oh Computer, you served me well
3 dorms, 6 moves, one house
4 years
We all knew this would come someday
Your hard drive fails, your lights grow dim
the painful noise draws us in
The suffering, the suffering…
The memories of papers writ
the hallowed halls of poetry
the pictures taken in memory
Oh Computer,
what have I done?
An E-Machine,
a keyboard true,
a hard drive fails,
screen dark now
this, the sad tale.
Oh Computer, you rescued me
from lonely nights of misery
I tried my best
I tried all day
to keep you alive
to have you stay.
September 23, 2005
by sholeh
5 Comments
Burnham Plaza Theatre
826 S. Wabash Street, Chicago, IL
Status: Closed
Screens: Multiplex (5 Screen)
Architect: Robert C. Berlin
The YMCA Hotel opened in 1915, located on Wabash Street in the South Loop, designed by architect Robert C. Berlin. Eleven years later, Berlin designed an addition to the hotel, in a similar style to his original.
In 1988, the building was converted over to mixed residential and retail use, including a multiplex theater, originally operated by Cineplex Odeon. The former hotel building was renamed the Burnham Plaza around this time.
After it was closed by the Meridian chain in 2000, the Burnham Plaza Theatre was reopened by the Village Theatres chain, showing first-run features, but at bargain prices.
The Burnham Plaza closed for good in September 2005. The building is scheduled to be converted into medical offices.
This was the cheapest theater in the area, and was always empty so you never had to search for a seat. It was also very close to us, and parking was easy at night. *sigh*
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Chase Cafe
7301 N. Sheridan, Chicago IL
Status: Closed
Located in the very large lobby of a Roger’s Park apartment building, this all-ages venue offers a section for eating that serves soups, sandwiches and salads, along with espresso and coffee. Patrons lounge on couches and chairs near a fireplace, but wander into another section and you’ll find a cyber cafe/copy shop/computer lab (complete with CD duplicators and a brand spankin’ new color copier…forget Kinko’s). Make your way to the next section and you’ll find a pool table and a gift shop before entering the largest area, where you’ll find a ballroom whose stage features live music and improv theater. Expect to mingle with artsy locals and hippie types eager to sample something healthy from the juice bar.
This was my freshman year hangout. It is where I started overcoming stage fright and made some very dear friends. I loved Tuesday night open mic.
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Zorba’s Diner
Status: Being renovated
Apparently under new management and being remodeled, and is NOT closed as previously thought. At least ONE of my college hangouts is not disappearing. whew! But I wonder if it will ever be the same…
September 18, 2005
by sholeh
2 Comments
I danced around helium balloons
laughing as they brushed around me
in circles, wind-carried.
I felt the rain
on a different day
it went to my head…
oh, last night
you should have seen me.
I need to get back
to the real me
the one who laughs without
inhibition or thought
how long has it been since
you really saw me?
————————————
I love Chicago, I really do. Thursday night:
Sunday!
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What is in the news?
School
Baha’i events
school projects
occasional work
school-related events
Thoughts of autumn, Halloween, the job search, interpersonal interaction, scarves, chocolate, roomate switches, travel, and parties invade my mind. All of the people that I know and keep in contact with, and forget to be in contact with. Whenever people ask what is new, I don’t really know what to say. Things are always happening, I’m just not sure I want to explain it all, haha!
Went to the Sufjan Stevens concert, the first show I’ve been to in at least a year, if not more. I am not sure if I have digested it completely. I had such a sense of joy and calm afterwards…the music, Sufjan’s voice, the vibe of the show itself. yeah. I think that is as far as I can go with words.
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I beseech Thee, O my Lord, by that Remembrance of Thee through which all things have been raised to life, and through which all faces have been made to shine, not to frustrate the hopes I have set on the things Thou dost possess. Cause me, then, by Thy mercy, to enter beneath Thy shadow that shadoweth all things.
Be Thou, O my Lord, my sole Desire, my Goal, mine only Hope, my constant Aim, my Habitation and my Sanctuary. Let the object of mine ardent quest be Thy most resplendent, Thine adorable, and ever-blessed Beauty. I implore Thee, O my Lord, by whatsoever is of Thee, to send, from the right hand of Thy might, that which will exalt Thy loved ones and abase Thine enemies.
No God is there beside Thee, Thou alone art my Beloved in this world and in the world which is to come. Thou alone art the Desire of all them that have recognized Thee.
Praised be God, the Lord of the worlds.
-Baha’u'llah
September 12, 2005
by sholeh
3 Comments
This is such a beautiful mask
with smiles and laughter trimming the edges
Such a delicate creation, all wrapped in
words covering things unsaid.
Wanting something to hold on to,
but masks take me back.
I’m the last to admit
even to you…
and I’ll never say
all the things I wanted to.
—————————————————
Such a strange universe I find myself in, at the moment. The first hints of panic-inducing tests and learning about detachment in a very real way. Feeling as though the other things were just quizzes. Fascinating.
1:00 am is a lonely time in the world.
Maybe I need to curl up with a good book. hmm…
September 8, 2005
by sholeh
8 Comments
I went to work this morning on my bike. I work in the Loop. Those of you who have had the blessing of driving/biking in this part of town know that it can get crazy, especially at rush hour.
I could have taken the bus, but I am trying to take advantage of the fleeting warm weather, so I hopped on my bike (after fixing the chain, which had come off and tangled in the gears). There are 4.32 miles of city streets to attain my destination.
I don’t look like a touristy biker. I have my jeans rolled up, bike gloves on, and a messenger bag slung ’round my shoulder. I look tough (honestly!), and I’m perfectly willing to slam a hand down on the hood of your car if your bumper is trying to get fresh with my bike. I’ve done this at least 3 times this summer. I figure the car can take it, and my body can’t. Simple self-preservation.
For the most part, Chicago drivers respect bikers, mostly because they don’t have a choice. We’re everywhere, and you don’t want to invoke the wrath of the biker gods. 
But you’ve got those few who seem hell-bent on taking city streets at 45 miles an hour with no concern for those of us who do not have a V8 engine and metal surrounding us.
I had a bus honk vociferously at me, and at least 3 taxis protest my presence on the road. Well, I’m trying my best to stay out of the way, haha. I find it especially amusing when pedestrians get a look of terror on their faces as I zoom past. I’ve never come close to hitting a person on foot, and I’m not planning on starting now.
The best part of the day so far was going about 15 mph over the river on the bridge. On my right was the south loop with the morning fog/smog burning off, to my left the skyscrapers towering gold and silver glory. Phenomenal.
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Also, please see my recent article in One Magazine. That is all.
