Henna pattern adapted from
the wallpaper in a tearoom across the street from Harrods.
In the Stow, Ohio, there
are no great museums, vast libraries, and nothing that would pass for a
rich international cultural life. However,we have Bud
Light Commercials featuring American Heros and Geniuses. This is a
wonderful thing and makes life worth living. If you don't live here,
click these links and find out what you're missing by not living here where
Real American Heros and
Real Men of Genius are
your neighbors. |
But ... I'm from
the US, lately that's the international social equivalent of having advanced
leprosy. I talked as little as possible, to keep adversarial conversations
from blooming. Theme and variation headlines of "Americans are maniac
bastards" were at the newsstand at every few days, and I figured those
were good days to say nothing at all. Once my mouth is open, there's
no hiding the accent, and if someone's torqued up about politics or the
most recent damnfool dreadful Yank thing to cop a headline, things are
going to get prickly. Can't be helped. Frequent quote, "Normally I absolutely
can't stand Americans but you seem different." Gosh, thanks, I feel
so much better.
I'll miss London. I
CRAVE Roast Chicken and Thyme flavored crisps and there's no way
to get them here ....
"Her
hair was in bands, and hung down under the shawl in a multitude of small
plaits. She wore no shoes, her feet being covered with fine Cashmere
stockings. The palms of her hands and tips of her fingers were dyed
red with a herb called henna, and the edges of the inner part of the eyelids
were colored with antimony. All the Kajars have naturally large arched
eyebrows, but, not satisfied with this, the women enlarge them by doubling
their real size with great streaks of antimony: her cheeks were well rouged
as is the custom among Persian women of all classes."
Sheil:
1856: describing the Shah's mother. |
