Spring hath put a youth in everything

Hi! It's 10am and I only rolled myself over to write a brief post about Novruz.
From a historical perspective, Novruz (pronounced nov-rooz, also known as Nowruz) most simply translates into New Year. It's the coming of spring. The astrologer in me also notes, according to wikipedia, that it's the time when the Sun leaves the zodiac sign of Pisces and enters the zodiac sign of Aries. It's rooted in Zoroastrian culture from an Azerbaijani perspective but celebrated within many cultures in some way shape or fashion. Whether it's India's Holi or Thailands' Songkran or Americas' Spring Break:it's all the same. The earth is yielding and it's people are receiving.

I find it to be a fantastic holiday even though I am drunk to the bone from the rich food I had last night. Now mind you, I'm supposed to be honoring Lent at this time-giving up sweets post a cavity filling. Not a good idea. I bent my Lent rules and ate this thing called a shekiburra. First of all it's a sin, second of all it's sugar on the inside, pastry on the outside, 3rd of all not eating it would be a sin. So I ate it.

Then I had more than my weight in Plov (rice with chestnuts, raisins, glazed apricots, saffron). Then I scarfed down potatoes with dill. Then I made room for some Capital Salat (in my world this salad would be called-potato salad). Then I had sauteed spinach with the sweetest onions. Then I scooped it all up in flatbread. Then I turned around and ate pineapple, mandarins, dates, dried figs, walnuts, hazelnuts, chestnuts, 2 or maybe 8 sugar cubes,skipped the paklava, and a second temptation of the shekiburra.

Now I'm writing you because my stomach is cross with me, hanging out of my yoga pants-making all sorts of inappropriate digestive noises. My mouth is begging for water but I can't seem to move out of my bed. The food won. MAN DOWN!

Anyway~last night my site-mate Carrie came over and we winded down our evening with your's truly acting as a fortune teller using a deck of cards, palm readings, a dance off (there was a tie between my host mom's Azeri dancing and my Samba), a tour around the world through music via itunes radio, and a broken necklace courtesy of my host dad. Poor guy.

I went to sleep at 2am only to receive an early morning text message from a community member asking me to come to their house so I can do it all again. dredding dreeding dreading. I'm kidding. Novruz is fun and I genuinely had a super time!

Happy Spring-wherever you are reading this from.

April hath put a spirit of youth in everything. (Sonnet XCVIII)~William Shakespeare

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