The 5th

Well, if I say I hardly believe he is 5 it not only sounds too cliche but also is not true.  I know he is 5, and I love it.  And he seems to enjoy his days too!  He had a family and friend party last weekend and then a school party.

We picked him up early from school today and I told him he could ask for any thing he liked and we would make that happen.  He wished for Cold Stone ice cream first, so we headed to Down Town Los Gatos; then he requested Main Street Burger, then he wanted to feed the pigeons in the park, and right then he wished to go home!  I was thinking if it was my day, I wanted to walk the down town, possibly go to Sur le Table and buy some fun kitchen stuff, then sit in a coffee shop and watch people come and go and possibly chat with a couple chatty ones, and finally, I would like to have a delicious steak in a great restaurant at a table filled with laughing friends and family.  But my sunny son wanted to go home.  So home it was.

On the way back he asked to go through a car wash.  I thought that was a fun birthday wish, so car wash it was.

At home he wanted to play Monopoly; then to read a book, and finally made a shuttle with his Lego's with daddy.  Watching a couple kids programs were the last wish.

I have a lot to wish for him, I summarize it in wishing him a Happy Healthy Birthday and Many Many More!

Dying Happy

"It's a new world

It's a new start

It's alive with the beating of young hearts

It's a new day

It's a new plan

I've been waiting for you

Here I am"

"Take Me Away"

I open the door to leave.  A bird flies away frantically, small wood sticks drop in front of my foot.  A bird nest is broken.
I walk to the car and turn back, look at the white and blue house, the old-fashioned carpenteries atop the window.  I like this old-fashion house.
I get in the car and close the door.  Sitting in, I look into the rear view mirror; the whole street behind me is stationary; in front of me the sun is rising from behind the buildings.  All is still quite.  And I am leaving the house.
I picture my A, my sunny son, breathing sweetly in his dream, calm, his face is all wide, his long black eyelashes protecting his eyes so nurturingly.
And I am leaving the house.
I think about calling my brother. I propose to me calling Sh.K.  She had been thinking about calling me yesterday but thought I was at work, she emailed me instead.  Pass.  Radio on.  Radio off.  Take the iPad out, leave it there.
I find that I have been driving for a long time, more than half of my usual morning rides, and I don't remember it all.  Auto pilot.
Radio on:

"Take me away, a secret place

A sweet escape, take me away

Take me away to better days

Take me away, a hiding place

There's a place that I go that nobody knows

Where the rivers flow and I call it home

And there's no more lies in the darkness there's light

And nobody cries, there's only butterflies"

Montana de Oro

After more than three hours of driving with an almost 5-year-old A and a thousand questions of "are we there yet?" we got to the camp ground 3E in Montana de Oro, a few miles south of Los Osos.  In the camp side instruction which was given to us upon check in it read that the car stop was down a hill at top of which was the camping location which made M sigh. It read that it was a few hundred yards of steep walk to the site. So we parked as instructed, each grabbed a piece of camping equipments, and headed up hills.

A few feet on the steep walkway we got greeted by a huge and grumpy lizard. "Hey Mr Lizard" we said, but he didn't say any thing back. So we continued walking when we bumped into a half a dozen college kids walking down with a dog. They said it had a nice view up there; that was encouraging.

Walking up hills usually makes me look down, don't exactly know why but it's more difficult to keep my head high. Suddenly, I sensed a familiar sent. Eucalyptus. I looked up and yes, it was a short but dense eucalyptus grove we were walking through. I love that smell; reminds me of my mother, so I smiled cheerfully. A kept complaining about the long and steep walk but he tried to be a good player. Closer to the top we got when we spotted a small hut, our very private pit toilet equipped with an all wind-powered ventilation system.

Short walk after that the hill got flat exposing our penthouse campsite, complete with three eucalyptus trees, a picnic bench, and a small cabinet attached to the bench. For sure there was no bear in Los Osos otherwise food cabinets were not practical.

We set up the tent and made another round to the car and back. On the way back we got greeted by a black beetle. "Hello Mr Beetle" we said, "hello humans" he responded.

M and A prepared the bedroom while I organized the kitchen.

Then we head off for a hilly oceanic hike.  A had a blast at the beach, playing with the waves running away from the cheerfully.

An hour before sunset we made it back to our ocean view site, set up the camping stove, made dinner, and had it all while watching the ocean.  Then at sun set we sat down watching the Sun going down the horizon.  M had already built up too fires on which we BBQ-ed hot dogs and marshmallows.

It was a breezy night, complete with the sound of ocean and spooky sound of eucalyptus trees shedding skins.  I was practically awake for the majority of the night time checking on M and A makign sure they were not cold.  In the morning, I had a mild cold.

It was too early to say goodbye to such a beautiful campsite but alas we had to head back.  We stopped at the Spooner beach again and relaxed for a couple hours.  It was just awesome being in the SLO vicinity, brought back so many good memories of our first visit to Northern California.

And the campsite, totally recommended.  Especially the 3E spot!

Convolution

All at once it seems all is getting fussy.  May be it has been always fussy and what is happening is actually clarifying the fussiness.

I am trying to be less ego driven, I am trying to be aware of my ego and people's ego and societies' ego and religious group's ego and nation's ego.  But in the end, I am responding to them all.  I am living their rights and wrongs.  I feel buried, unrealized, unsatisfied, untrue.

I am told I write vaguely, that I have lots to say but I do not say it after all.  Now I am trying to write.  Just saying.

Toronto Trip

It is Monday morning and we are all flying back to San Francisco. This time I made it here with both M and A; it was such a positively different trip. It was calming to get to the hotel from a full day of work in a different city and rejoin my family.


The trip was initiated in the business mode. We worked both on Wednesday and Thursday meeting our valued customers in the familiar city of Toronto and also in London, ON. It was nice to travel on 401 again all the way west and get to go to London. It was actually noticeable how there were many white and blond people in Toronto, relatively more so of California we thought.

I was working with my colleague B.O. who is our territory manager in Ontario. I liked her very much actually. She had a very interesting perspective of life and herself, very intriguing personality to me actually.

We got to a mellower mode on Friday and totally on vacation mode over the weekend visiting a few old friends. It was really nice and happy to be with them again. Most of the couples now had young kids. They all seemed to me more mature, calmer may be, more settled even, possibly more focused. I saw them all as they were years before, not much changed, more or less the same vibes as they used to have except with modified and moderated intensity. Just a quick observation.

Meeting their new kids was endearing and thought provoking to me. I knew their parents but not them. In the very short time I had with them they seemed different from their parents yet resembled them.

It snowed at the very last night. We were particularly excited because A got to see snow as he was eagerly anticipating that. It was too late at night for him to make a snow man but he got to write his name on the fresh snow with his finger. He showed his frozen finger to me post carrying a tiny ball of snow melting on his finger tip.

All in all it was wonderful to be back, meet our old friends in the new year, and this time with my family too!

Spring

It was getting light outside, she could tell by the sliver of light sneaking into the room from between the narrow opening of shut curtains.  Another day had begun.
She thought about her dreams. None to remember.
What a calming gift is sleeping! All she needed was to feel safe again, to feel wanted, to feel warm, to feel trusted. Sleeping was granting all that...
There were birds flying low in the backyard, chirping merely despite the rain. It is spring.
Suddenly it was not raining any more. A new birth was awaiting the Earth!

Haft Seen at Pepper Tree School of Los Gatos

That's what we did this morning, M and I.  We took our haft seen to A's school today and got the kids introduced to the items on the table.  Then gave them each a colored paper with "Happy Nowruz" on it and asked them to choose an item on the table and draw it.  Most of the chose t draw the goldfish or the apple.  A was acting more like a presenter and didn't want to participate in the activity.  He did not seem as excited as he did last year when we took a haft seen to his school.  I think he is growing up...

Just Because I am Missing A Much Lately

I guess I am missing me too....

She was staring out that window, of that SUV

Complaining, saying I can't wait to turn 18

She said I'll make my own money, and I'll make my own rules

Mamma put the car in park out there in front of the school

Then she kissed her head and said I was just like you

You're gonna miss this

You're gonna want this back

You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast

These are some good times

So take a good look around

You may not know it now

But you're gonna miss this

Before she knows it she's a brand new bride

In a one-bedroom apartment, and her daddy stops by
He tells her It's a nice place

She says It'll do for now

Starts talking about babies and buying a house

Daddy shakes his head and says Baby just slow down

'Cause You're gonna miss this

You're gonna want this back

You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast

These are some good times

So take a good look around

You may not know it now

But you're gonna miss this

Five years later there's a plumber workin' on the water heater

Dog's barkin', phone's ringin'

One kid's cryin', one kid's screamin'

She keeps apologizin'

He says they don't bother me

I've got 2 babies of my own

One's 36, one's 23

Huh, it's hard to believe

But you're gonna miss this

You're gonna want this back

You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast

These are some good times

So take a good look around

You may not know it now

But you're gonna miss this

You're gonna miss this

Yeah, you're gonna miss this

Nowrouz

Here comes the first day of Spring, the first day of Farvardin, the first day of Nowrouz of 1390 or 2559 or any other calender you want to go with .
I wish I could wish for love and peace and health and prosperity for the world.  Is it too awful not to be able to wish so on the very first day of the Nowrouz knowing every thing that is going on around you and in the world?
Yes!  It is too awful!
So, I wish you and your family and your loved ones and every one who loves you to have a wonderful Spring and New Year!  I wish for love and peace and health and prosperity in the world!
Happy Nowrouz!

Reality Denied

It was a busy day albeit relatively relaxing. In the morning the three of us were working in the backyard, M was planting flowers, I was planting herbs, and A was trying to help us both. He had his play practice for which both M and I stayed with him which made him feel very happy and supported, hugged us both in the intermission sweetly. At home we played different games and I enjoyed playing tag with him the most; also tuned the guitar and got him play with me, which was not really playing but making harsh strums on the strings. Eventually daddy gave him a quick bath and I was summoned to put him to bed. Three books we decided to read, the third one I picked up. The book is originally in German, then translated to Persian, translated name of which to English is "the tales of me and my dad". Laying by his side we read the first two books which were short. We decided to read a chapter of the third book each night.  In the first chapter, two pages long with a couple small pictures, "me" explains how his mom passed away when he was very young and his mom used to tell him stories and after her passing his dad, to make him happy again, started to tell him stories pictures of which he drew and the book was the collection of those pictures and the stories. Then I turned the page when A protested that it was chapter two. I concluded he was done with the book so I suggested I would sing his lullaby. He suddenly said "you and daddy will never go to the sky" which is the metaphor for dying in his language. He was obviously disturbed by the explanation "me" had at the beginning of the chapter. I said without hesitation "I will never leave you" and started singing his lullaby. He turned his back to me and soon his breathing got deeper so I knew he was asleep. I found my tears dropping down the side of my face on his pillow. I hope to stay with him for a long time but truth is that that "never" was like denying the reality of life.

GMAT

"I am a mechanical engineer with a master degree from University of Toronto and a graduate certificate from Stanford University. I was wondering if indeed you have not listed Iran as a country people can graduate from with a degree as I couldn't find it listed and your search could not find my undergraduate university. My undergraduate degree is from Isfahan University of Technology in Iran. Please let me know how you can fix the pull-down menu so I can choose my school and continue with my registration. For your information I am already pursuing my MBA at Golden Gate University but preferred to transfer to San Jose State University which is closer to my work place and home. Please advise!"

This is what I posted on mba.com last night when I wanted to register for an official GMAT exam.  I knew there was a way to go around this.  After all so many of my friends and acquaintances have taken this exam around the world.  I was just looking for an answer on why Iran was not even listed.

The brief response just indicates that I can leave the undergrad school blank.

What if I didn't have a graduate degree?  I wonder, is this a punishment mba.com is imposing the Iranians?  I wonder if people can be so resentful that they cannot comprehend the individuality of people, the brains, the souls.  After all, don't you guys see there is a huge gap between people and governments particularly in that part of the world?  Can't you realize the individuality of people beyond the location of birth?  What do you know about Iran?  What is the meaning of a country to you?  Any one else born in any other country is assumed more worthy so their country will be listed?

I wonder, do I want to take the GMAT exam anymore?  Can I talk to SJSU business school to provide me with an alternative?  I can even stay in GGU where they elected to wave the requirement for GMAT score from me because of my strong technical background.

Ah! Healing Love.  That's what we need.

Simply Living

It was a sunny but cold Sunday morning.

Despite the empty parking spots I parked far away from the store and walked for a while under the sun to warm up a bit.  I grabbed a shopping basket and headed right to the isle I knew I could find what I was looking for.  I noticed older couples shopping together.  There were noticeably more bouquets of flowers.  Roses were the norm for valentine; hence, I would buy daises I thought.

I imagined my dish.  Looked good.  I was certain I had gotten what I needed.

Walked toward the cashiers when I got invited to the just emptied one right at the very end.  There was a blond guy there greeting me.  I didn't notice his eyes.  What color were they I thought later but didn't remember.  He asked if I needed a flower bag for my flowers.  Took me a few seconds to say "yes please; I just had my car washed".  He laughed while obediently putting the flowers in the bag explaining he had also washed his car when he took his dog for a walk by a brook and only remembered it after the dog had jumped on the back sit after the walk.  I said "too late" sarcastically.  He asked "do you speak Farsi?" to which I responded positively.  He said "I thought so".  Oh!  How?  Interesting!  He handed me my bag and said "rooz bekheir" with a nicely pronounced "kh" I was impressed.  But I said "same to you, have a nice day" and left the store thinking why I didn't say it back in Farsi.  Or why I hardly looked into his eyes to remember what color they were.  I concluded I didn't feel like so, I rather just vanished away.

Remembered A.Z. and her description of complimenting strangers post a Starbucks stop we had a couple weeks ago. I smiled to myself.

Walking back to my far away parked car I thought I needed an antique flower pot with miniature roses for the window sill above my kitchen sink.

Earthly Love

It can be a browny. A rich chocolaty munch that leaves sticky residue on your fingers, even on your teeth.

It can be a mocha made for the love of it. Carefully melted chocolate in perfectly brewed coffee.

It can be a strangely delicious ice-cream. Bought in a local creamery, made with the passion of being other than ordinary.

It can be a dish of Pra Ram Thai cooked artistically in the kitchen of a small Thai place in the middle of nowhere.

It can be a home made pizza with added love of artichoke hearts, the fruit of love.

Or a traditionally made fessenjoon cooked in aunt Sh.'s kitchen with just the right amount of sour and right amount of sweet and the prefect burgundy color shining beneath the sparkling walnut oil.

It can be a green salad made with local organic greens and fresh figs from the backyard of the house of a beloved friend to be shared at a pot luck early evening dinner party.

...

There indeed is joy in earthly loves!

School Overwhelmed

We got to visit the school today for an hour accompanied by the school principle. She seemed like a very nice lady principle. Th school facilities looked appealing. The library and all-apple pc lab really fascinated us. And the fact that kids of same ages only shared playgrounds. There were essentially three playgrounds. There seemed lots of emphasis on writing and reading. A browsed a couple writings in grade three class and got really fascinated by the level of imaginations. Finally, visiting grade five class was totally s shock! Kids were studying Latin. Gosh I don't know any thing about Latin vocabo! I felt totally overwhelmed by that. M thinks we can and will study with A when the time comes. I like the idea but I wish I already knew what he will study! Grade fours were taking a test. God knows I don't want to be them again. Yes i know I am studying still but grad school is totally different than elementary. Ah!

Wishing For the Cliff

It was a gloomy and chilli winter afternoon. It was going to get dark soon. She looked at herself in the mirror as she zipped her jacket up slowly toward her neck. Her eyes had dark shadows around them, her cheek bones more pronounced. She didn't smile at the picture in the mirror. Just looked at her blankly. The zipper was all the way up. She just turned away from the picture, opened the door, and stepped out to the gray late afternoon.
It was the most boring drive to the coast. She couldn't listen to music, nothing fancy her desires. News and talk shows sounded even more boring. She just concentrated on her drive, and the pinkish gray sky. The sun was setting behind the hills.
The waves were crashing to the cliffs. The sun was kissing the ocean goodnight. She thought the sun always looked sad leaving, as if it was not sure it will be dawning again the next morning. As if it was the last sunset.
She sat on a cliff and hugged her elbows hunching down sniffing her running nose up. She wished for a shawl or a blanket. He would never forget one.
She brought her knees up to her chest and hugged them now, just watched the setting sun and the sky with varying colors. It was a melancholy moment. She wished for God.
She felt a tightness in her chest and tried to inhale more forcefully but it didn't help.
The sound of the crashing waves appeared louder and louder as it got darker and darker. She bent her head on her knees and cried. No force to let them out of her tightened chest, no force to keep them up. She just cried.
It was completely dark now. Only the light of the nearby street was faintly reflecting on the border between the land and the waves.
She wished for a cup of steaming hot tea.
He threw a blanket on her shoulders, hugging her from behind helping to warm her up with the heat of his manly body. "I knew I could find you here" he whispered in her ear.
The crashing sound of the waves continued through the cold winter night.

A little too womanly

The color NUDE

That's what I fancy in make up lately. Got myself a nude lipstick late last year.  I was shopping for a few other ladies picking burgundy and pink and red for them. Until I spot this "perfectly nude" one.  I always wanted to try nude on me. As I would never try lipstick in the drugstores and department stores I had to buy it.  I brought it home and carefully opened the seal and then the cap.  Looks good.  I tried it on ... hmmm ... too pale?   too different?  too unlike my other make up colors? ... I thought I wont use it again; it was too colorless.  It was too daring.  You always want more color on your lips and it is totally out of ordinary to make your lips less colorful than they are!

Some how though as I tried it here and there again and mixed it with other make ups it appeared very harmonious with my complexion I thought. So I  kept it and kept using it.  I realized the other day that it's being consumed way faster than all other colors I had, even my orange one! I must say though I love the orange so much I don't want to run out of it. So I'm being frugal with its consumption.

Last week I bought a cinnamon nude nail polish. Ah love its color!

Scattered Political Thoughts

Once upon a time in a far far away land there was a king who had become a king after his father.  It was a monarchy.  He was governing the nation but  people realized they didn't want that leader, may be because he was too arrogant and yet too ignorant? He also was overlooking all the guns and that was deemed as too much power.  So they decided to overthrow him by any means what so ever.  And they did.  By protesting and finally making allies with the military.

Now the king was gone.  They had gotten rid of what they didn't want.  But, what now?

Oh, they knew what they didn't want but did they know what they wanted instead?

The joy of the achieved victory kept the nation together, satisfied, united.  They assumed they all wanted this.  After all, they had prepared the land for planting, planting a new government, a kind that was not monarchy... But somehow it did not stay like that.  There came the time for the differences to surface.  The differences in what they really wanted.  It was not the same thing any more!  At that moment whomever got to tether the military got to win the country.  It provided the power of demolishing the oppositions, those that their wanting were not in line with the newly appointed government's wantings; with the power of gun...

Now, in that far far away land, there is still the gun that rules.  The nature of the ruling power had not changed much actually:  Arrogance and ignorance plus power.

George Orwell has been a genius.  His 'Animal Farm' to me is indeed the psychology of a revolution, although he wrote it as a critic to Stalin's politics in Soviet Union.  I attest to it because I experienced it; in fact, I am experiencing it still.  All are "equal" at first, they all want that but then over the years some become  "more equal"!  I see the Napoleon and his 10 puppies who grew to defend him by all means when the need came up.  And Snowball, one of the first leaders who stayed committed to the nation, the one who wanted good for all at the beginning, was completely repressed.

Another note: I wont assume democracy will happen to a nation when there is no woman to be found in their vocalized demonstrations.  Not any time soon at least even if the current leader/president leaves.

Democracy is not transportable; it is not to be taught, it is not to be ruled.  Democracy blooms from the democrats.  As long as there are people who are "more equal" to the rest because of their gender I don't think it will happen.  As long as there are fathers who choose for their children, there are husbands who repress their wives, there are teachers who say and act as if the boys are always smarter and more successful than the girls, there are men who always blame the woman in any wrong done relationship, democracy is no where to be found!

Don't get me wrong.  I don't think democracy is the best way to govern a nation, not in all times at least.  But once I was told about Socrates believes about the philosophy behind different governing options in a society and based on that it was explained how in this time and era democracy is the best of the worst governing options.  I totally believe in it now.

I am sorry to repeat the famous quotation my dear readers but those who forget the past are damned to repeat it.
And the history repeats...

Once upon a time ...

My A Lately

Really, this post is not intended for all readers as it might sound boring but mainly for A himself. I have been meaning to right some about my experiences with my A lately and now that I have time in the sky I'm going to phrase my thoughts.

We attended his Kindergarten Orientation this past Tuesday. I must admit, I was/am a bit anxious about his kindergarten, more than how I was about my own kindergarten. Actually, I was not anxious about mine at all. After much debates an research and mainly per my own strong suggestion we had decided to put him in the very high ranked public school close to home; one major reason we bought this house at all. But now I'm debating again. Not much though, only 20% may be? To put him in a private school. I'm planning to attend their orientation too. Although will register him in the public enshala but we can still decide later. At the same time I still think with the money we won't spend on the private we can tailor his extra curricular activities
which is much more exciting and I think appropriate and effective. I had a mid year evaluation meeting with his PreK teacher earlier. She was very happy with him and his performance and his potentials. She said he was particularly polite and attentive to other kid, always shared and never left any kid behind. I felt like the proudest mother! He is going to play in a Haft Seen Play in a Persian New Year ceremony conducted by his Persian School. I am so excited about it. He still pronounces "gh" like "g" though and one word in the poem he has to recite in the play is "ghermez", meaning red, so fun when he says it!
He was sniffing me the other day! He said "mommy! you smell good! I think it's because of the corn you had last weekend"! Ah made me laugh so hard!
He pretend-played my grandpa several times lately. He was taking me to school but attempting to pick me up early to take me to Red Robins. My lunch box had a princess pattern on it. And the other day M informed me that A had explained that at school he had pretended to be the father, Corrine, his new favorite friend, the mother, and Haley the daughter. He talks and he talks and he talks even more.
Doesn't eat much lately.
Thanks to my M the grass in the backyard looks very nice and green now. It's so beautiful and inviting. I'm thinking to grow some herbs and tomato and strawberries at a section of the backyard. I think A is going to love observing the plants grow.
I told him on Monday that in two weeks we would go to Disney Land. He said it was too far away!
I'm going to take him to his Farsi class tomorrow enshala and I'm excited to take him for breakfast first. He loved it last week. We simply went to Starbucks but it seemed like an event to him. I'm so looking forward to it again.
He loves to be tickled and I love listening to his giggles.
He still remembers all about his recent trip to Iran and particularly his grandparents. I'm so happy about that.
He wants to buy his house in Texas.
So admire it. He has become much more relaxed and confident with his abilities and disabilities and mistakes. He is practicing with his bike without it's training wheels under daddy's supervision. Last week though on the way to the park he wanted the trainers back on as daddy was not coming. He said "don't worry, it takes time mommy but I'll get there".
Now that I am working for a new company he claimed my last company as his working place in his pretend plays.  I offered him my old business cards.
He's growing more confident in his swimming class. I love to go swimming with him one day.
I so wish for him to pursue a sport professionally.
He claims he likes Baseball and Basketball. After the Farsi class last week we stopped by the gym and  watched older children playing basketball. He said he wanted to have a shirt like theirs with a number on its back. I wonder if that is the reason for his admiration for these sports.
Although so far he does not show any particular interest in drawing or coloring I have a sense he likes to play keyboard or piano. We hope to provide him the opportunity to get to test his talent with musical instruments.
The main reason I wrote these here is for him to read it later and get to see his 4.5 year old age through my eyes. He is my sunny son.

PS: M informed me last night that our elementary school, Carlton, has been scored 930 this past year, the year before their score was 913. I am thinking there is no need to visit the private school any more. We will experiment with the public this year.

A Totally Different Experience

 In the air
Flying from Newark back to San Francisco - on seat 12A by the window.
Seat B is empty which is quite surprising as the flight two hours before ours had gotten cancelled. As soon as I turned to put my coat on the empty seat in the middle the tall guy sitting on the isle seat (let's call him Tom the Engineer as I know now that his name was Tom and he was a Mechanical Engineer) said he was  hocked to find empty seats on this flight as his flight from earlier this morning had gotten cancelled. I told him I was thinking about the same thing especially since the 3:30 pm flight had also gotten cancelled. I explained how I felt lucky to be able to get here on Wed night while so many flights had gotten cancelled right before the snow storm that night and mentioned that although the traffic was heavy yesterday morning for my colleague to get to us in a hotel by the airport from Short Hills NJ, we could make it to all of our meetings. He said he lived here but was travelling to meet her daughter in Berkeley before he went to a conference in Vegas. He said his time with his daughter was going to get shorter now with the delay as he was going to meet her and soon leave for Vegas the following night. I asked if his daughter studied there and he explained that she actually taught in Richmond Hill CA in Teaching for America. He explained that these were classes for under privileged kids where class sizes were 35 students or more in high school. Right after he proposed that this should have sounded like normal to ME but it was quite unusual in US. I was astound!!! How could he judge my background so easily and so confidently after 2 minutes into the conversation? What did he know about me? Where did he think I was from? Did I look under privileged to him?  I corrected him quickly that all of my classes had had 25 students at most. I didn't tell him though that because of the unexpected obsession of my high school classmates with math & physics my last two years in high school were pretty crowded with 33 students, the school anticipated less than 20 students in math & physics and 40 in bio sciences which would be devided in two classes.  But we chose differently, unexpectedly so. I didn't tell him that out of those 33 all-girl students a couple pursued pure math at university, a couple pure physics, one pure  chemistry, a couple mechanical engineering, a couple civil engineering, a handful computer engineering and the rest electrical engineering and all in very high ranked schools. Didn't tell him either that almost 90% continued to graduate studies and may be half have gotten their PhDs and from very good schools around the world. Oh am I not proud of my "under privileged" 33-student high school class! Well done girls!
And now there is this Tom the Engineer guy judging me based on what? How I look? And what does he know about the people with my ethnic background any way? Assuming he had guessed correctly!
When he finished talking after that I just turned toward the window and watched the snow covered run ways. Didn't feel like wanting to talk to him any more. Felt sad a bit actually.

Later, when they brought the snack cart he was shocked that they wanted to charge him for the meal. He asked me if it was the routine lately for the coast to coast flights! I didn't ruin his honest curiosity by telling him this had been the case for most longer flights for the past 6 or more years. I comforted him by telling him
that in my opinion the meal quality was not very good although Continental was one of the better ones in that regard. I couldn't think about enjoying my meal by myself after that. I thought his flight had gotten cancelled from this morning and he was under the impression that he'd eat something in the airplane and he didn't. So I
opened my bag and offered him one of the half turkey sandwiches I had bought from the airport earlier. He thanked me for the offer but said he was a vegetarian. Then he asked what kind of business I was in and
chatted a bit but I answered with short sentences and didn't ask follow up questions of him while explaining his work in energy industry. No curiosity what so ever.

I cannot stop but thinking, what two so very opposite companions in my last two flights!
Ah and there remains 3.5 hours of flight...

... 2 hours later
He started chatting again. I suppose he was bored. Figured out at last that I was Iranian blessed with  Canadian citizenship. I couldn't refrain from asking, so I challenged him where he thought I was from
initially when he didn't know. He hesitated much and said he was not good with accent; although per my previous plane companion, Dr A.A., my accent doesn't sound too Iranian any way, he said he thought I was
from Spain. Hmm. Dr A.A. thought I was from Costa Rica! I guess Spanish and Costa Ricans look more alike than either of them and Iranians?
Any way, good thing is that I'm not mad at him any more. I think the main reason why is because through a couple more q and a from his side he concluded that compared to other Muslim countries Iranian women didn't seem to have problem to study or work. I'm glad I could persuade him this much. I bet he learned something new. I offered my salad to him too and he accepted one tomato wedge. So, friends ;)

... An hour later
We chat some more, he was less prejudice now. Told me about his wife who was a Chemical Engineer and took her years to finish her masters with kids and all. About her sister who was a biomaterial scientist. And a bit more about his daughters. He thought it was very ambitious of me to emigrate from Iran to Canada and then to Bay Area. I never thought of it this way but now that I think about it I think he is correct.