Netflix and why scientific advancement is set back 50 years

If there is a 2016 New Year's resolution to make, it will be to watch Netflix in moderation. I tend to binge watch. Such was the case with many of these TV series. The Office and Friends are classics and can be played at anytime of the day as background noise. But for the rest, I don't have a reasonable excuse for all the hours I logged watching it.

List of Netflix series:

Drop Dead Diva
Persons of Interest
NCIS (original)
Parks and Recreation
The Office
Friends
Call the Midwives
Jane the Virgin
The Bletchley Circle
The Paradise
An Idiot Abroad

Sadly, this list comes too quickly to mind. There were a few weeks when I only watched TED talks. If there is anything to motivate you to do better, it was listening to well spoken individuals talk about their life's work. 

Then of course, I finished that up and returned to a variety of TV shows. I loved Orphan Black, which was available through Amazon Prime. I was told to watch Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Moaning of Life, House of Cards, and rewatch Seinfeld. That will be on my to do list for next year. 

Songs of God and Whiskey

 

I love this album by The Airborne Toxic Event. I thought it was lyrically clever, the tunes were simple and raw. My little nephews danced with me as it played in the background this past week. I'll just say it here--album of the year. (At least in my book.) The videos below are two songs from the album.

Words as a remedy (Syrian Refugees- Part 2)

I began writing this post November 22, 2015. I did not complete it because the rhetoric coming from right-wing politicians filtered into distasteful dialogue between individuals I routinely encountered. I was surprised by their expression of fear. Rather than think ill of those who were fleeing from terrorism, I wanted to give succor. Yet, I did not know how. The simplest way was to add my voice. I became quite busy and the desire to write the post petered out.  I will finish it off now...


Everyone seems to have a resolute opinion on the political topic of Syrian refugees. Rather than liking as many posts as I am able to on social media in favor of welcoming the refugees, I thought it more prudent to write about it. 

My last blog post was a means to cope with a heavy heart due to the Paris and Beirut tragedies. Less than a week passed before Dumbledore's wisdom proved to reveal a sharp divide in the American public. This six-minute clip from Colbert's The Late Show highlights the absurd fear that has gripped American politicians. Today, NPR wrote, "the emotional debate about whether or not to shut Syrian refugees out altogether gained new traction in presidential politics." I am truly bewildered. Utterly confused. 

Why?

I am confused because historically, America was a refuge for those who fled England. It continued to be a refuge for those fleeing Europe. Inscribed on the Statue of Lady Liberty's pedestal is the poem "The New Colossus" by Emma Lazarus. 

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name Mother of Exiles.
From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
“"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!"” cries she
With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

How can we, as Americans, be so intolerant? Are we not hypocrites? I am not alone in my confusion or anger. Game of Thrones author, George R.R. Martin referenced the poem in a recent blog post. He will likely be trolled for expressing such views, but I am glad he did because it is currently a minority opinion. 

Syrian Refugees- Part 1

I loved the shift of focus to Syrian refugees. The post below was published on September 27, 2015, which preceded the December photo shoots of Syrian refugees. 

“After one month, I arrived in Austria. The first day I was there, I walked into a bakery and met a man named Fritz Hummel. He told me that forty years ago he had visited Syria and he’d been treated well. So he gave me clothes, food, everything. He became like a father to me. He took me to the Rotary Club and introduced me to the entire group. He told them my story and asked: ‘How can we help him?’ I found a church, and they gave me a place to live. Right away I committed myself to learning the language. I practiced German for 17 hours a day. I read children’s stories all day long. I watched television. I tried to meet as many Austrians as possible. After seven months, it was time to meet with a judge to determine my status. I could speak so well at this point, that I asked the judge if we could conduct the interview in German. He couldn’t believe it. He was so impressed that I’d already learned German, that he interviewed me for only ten minutes. Then he pointed at my Syrian ID card and said: ‘Muhammad, you will never need this again. You are now an Austrian!’” (Kos, Greece)

(6/6)

This man embodies the essence and definition of true grit. I am grateful for his story because it makes me want to do better. Better at what? Better at living and learning! I am grateful for the compassion of others and hope to be just as hospitable as Fritz Hummel and friends. 

Save the Rhinos

I remember this post from Saturday, October 31, 2015. It struck a funny chord in me and I laughed at my desk. My FB had become inundated with stories about saving earth's animals. The rhinoceros, the unsung real unicorn of earth, was not part of any person's campaign. Hence, upset kids forced to wear a funny costume and overly enthused parents trying to curtail crying kids. Ah, it was too much. Great wit on the part of the parents! 

“You should have been here a few minutes ago. The kids were crying from the cold. It would have been a perfect Save The Rhinos advertisement.” 

I want to be his friend

My sister and I love the Disney movie Tangled. It sends a great message to pursue your dreams. Ha. The HONY post on Wednesday, September 23, 2015, was in my humble opinion, the best story to illustrate 'living your dreams'. I cannot pick which is my favorite part to this entire story.

“I was a maître d’ at a restaurant for thirteen years. But one week I got a really bad case of pneumonia that put me in the hospital. While I was lying in that hospital bed, I was thinking about how I really didn’t want to go back to work. Then that motivational speaker came on TV. You know– the one that has all those teeth in his mouth. And he said: ‘Think back to what made you happy when you were young! That’s what you should be doing!’ Well I grew up in the country, and I always had a lot of dogs, so I thought that nothing would make me happier than to be a dog walker. But I knew I needed to distinguish myself. So I decided to make a uniform. I smoked a joint and came up with this outfit. I wanted people to look at me and think: ‘If this man is walking our dog, and there’s some sort of major disaster, he’s going to survive. He’s going to fish for those dogs. He’s going to build a bunker and shelter those dogs until it’s safe to bring them home.’ After I finished the design, I got four of my friends to wear the uniform, and we borrowed all the neighbors’ dogs, and we walked them down 5th avenue while handing out business cards. I got five customers that first day.” 

I'm a sucker for love stories

Love stories are thoroughly entertaining. Though I am quite impartial to Zuko and Mai as the greatest love story ever told*, I must concede that this story was ridiculously adorable. I couldn't stop laughing, especially since I have been one of those friends who takes the picture to commemorate such a meeting. 

“I first met her in church last October. I wanted to talk to her for months but I was too nervous. I’d never gone on a date or had a girlfriend before. All my friends kept helping me think of strategies to ask her out. But I kept saying that I’d do it later. I kept saying that I was too busy with college applications to have a girlfriend. But really I was just too scared. After my applications were finished, I ran out of excuses. So I asked her to sit next to me in church. When the service was over, I walked her to the door and asked her out. My friends were all watching and they snapped this picture. I was crossing my arms because I was so nervous. I’d never had a conversation with a girl for that long.” 

*I love the animated series, Avatar: The Last Airbender. Whoever reads this post and does not know of this American treasure, I command you to go watch it. And for the love of Appa, do NOT watch the live action movie released a few years ago. 

Iran Series- HONY

I remember this photo as though it were yesterday (August 26, 2015).  I don't think I could fully articulate the poignant feelings he shared at the time. Now, I think what resonated with me  was the pinpoint of time when he felt his father's love. My parents and siblings, aunties and uncles tell stories very much like what he shared. Pivotal moments that might seem like nothing to anyone else, but were of significant changes in how you saw the world. Powerful storyteller. 

“My mother died when I was two years old, so it’s just me and my father. He’s been really angry with me lately. He’s always wanted me to be an engineer like him, but I switched my major to photography. He didn’t’ show any emotion when I told him. He always has a poker face. But I know that he’s angry from the little things. He never asks me to go shopping with him anymore. We used to go to the market together. He’d pick up a watermelon, inspect it, then would hand it to me for my opinion. It doesn’t sound like much but I really valued that time together. But once I changed my major, he stopped asking me to come along. But I think things are getting better. Recently I scored in the top 5th percentile on the University Entrance Exam for photography. When I told my father, he didn’t show any emotion. But the next day he asked me if I wanted to go shopping. And that made me so happy. Because it’s just the two of us. And I really, really, really, really love him.” 

(Tehran, Iran) 

Squirrels

As I was looking through HONY photos, I recalled one particular post that I shared on my FB long ago. I entered in my search bar "Xazmin squirrel" and I found these treasures...

More than two people posted on my FB page THIS YEAR regarding a story of squirrels or A squirrel (a ninja one at the City of Hope parking lot). It makes me shudder to think of it. 

My red Jello brain! It was beautiful. 

"Discovering bugs"

There are some days that I am frustrated with an experiment. There are certainly days in which I do not want to be a scientist. But, for whatever reasons, the universe will conspire together and, like this first day of May 2015,  I see a picture with the simplest caption to describe that beautiful smile. This is one reason why I love HONY. It reminds me of my childlike wonders and desires. 

“I want to be a scientist.”
“What’s the best part about being a scientist?”
“Discovering bugs.”

Workings hands = happy Xaz

I have stated before that I am no artist. It may appear that I have my head in the clouds with the Harry Potter and Game of Thrones posts that I write. It's public knowledge that I enjoy math and reading. However, I am a Lowman. I am a scrappy Navajo girl not averse to work. I learned how to crochet by my Grandma Helen and I witnessed my Grandma Yellowhorse weave beautiful Navajo rugs. I learned how to play the piano as a child. I used my hands to dribble a basketball as if I were Steve Nash. I helped my dad chop wood for older Navajo women on the reservation. Whenever I returned to my parents home throughout college and graduate school, I would help my dad build something. I loved tinkering with my car. I love this photo because I share this man's sentiment. I love being a scientist. I am happiest when I can look back on the day and see the evidence of the experiments that I performed. 

“I love working with my hands. You can actually feel the job being done. And at the end of the day, you can look at what you’ve accomplished. I can walk over this plaza in 30 years and know that I laid these stones.” 

Empathetic tears- HONY March 2015

This particular post made me shed a few tears for the man's grief. I recalled the madness that went through my mind when my sister gave birth to her first son. He took so long to come. My thoughts and prayers were for my sister and her little boy. I was in Minnesota at the time while the rest of my family remained in Arizona. My sister delivered a fine boy and she recovered from the intense labor. My little nephew and his brother are my favorite little boys in the universe. 

I am hopeful that this man will feel again. 

“The birth went fine. Teela was born early so they took her and put her behind glass under a blue light. For the next couple days, I went back and forth between Marwa’s room and the room where Teela was under the blue light. Eventually Marwa got better to the point where she could sit in a wheelchair, so I pushed her down the hall so she could meet our daughter. We all took a picture together. Later that afternoon we were preparing Marwa for a CT scan, and her sister was helping to take out her hair extensions. Suddenly Marwa sat up really fast, and she looked so scared, like she’d seen a ghost. She fell toward me and I took her in my arms and she started having a seizure. The doctors pulled me away and I started fighting with them, but they wheeled Marwa away to the ICU. They told me it would be fine, and I could go home, but I slept in the waiting room, and that night the doctor called my cellphone and said ‘Come now.’ When I got to the ICU, they told me, ‘We lost her for a bit, and if she comes back now, we don’t know how much of her will come back.” It didn’t feel real. It was like the movies. I was standing right over her and her heart rate monitor would go flat, and these two huge men would start hammering her in the chest, and she was so tiny, and her heart would beat for a couple more minutes and then it would go flat again. And then I heard the doctor say ‘Let’s give it one last try.’ And then I heard the doctor say ‘Time of death.’ And then he turned to me and said, ‘We’ll leave you here. Take all the time you need.’ And when they left me alone, I was like a madman. I didn’t know what to do. I started taking photos of her hands, and her feet, and I cut off bits of her hair. And when I walked out of the room I felt so empty. Like I was nothing.” 

Microfashion

These kids have more fashion sense in their choice of accessories than I have in my entire life. 

February 2, 2015

February 11, 2015

February 20, 2015

Vidal- January 2015

January 2015- I remember reading about this young man named Vidal. I was happy to read of the outpouring of monetary donations for the school that he attends. As the story evolved, my smile widened when I read of the teachers and principal who inspired the kids to simply dream. I chose this picture because it made me laugh. Of course the story would be relegated to the bottom half of the newspaper beneath the naked women. Life. 
 

I was visiting Vidal today when we remembered that he was going to be making his big newspaper debut in the Daily News. So we ran across the street to the corner store, and sure enough, there we were! Right under the naked women.

HONY

This year flew by. There are many beautiful things in the world--books, animals, creative works, music, and PEOPLE! Too often, the crazies of the world detract from the good that exists in humanity. One site that inspires the good in people, fosters a community of hope, and fights against the despair of loneliness and misfortune is Humans of New York (HONY).

It goes without saying that I love to open my FB and see a picture of lovely individuals. Sometimes the smile on their face tells the story, other times its the wisdom in the eyes. For some, it is the person standing beside the interviewee who is the source of their happiness. The stories coupled with the photos reveal the truth that we are weak, silly, hopeless creatures traversing through life. Yet, through our wit and grit, we can and are resilient to the troubles that life throws our way. Together, we are strong, kind, productive. In order to meet my quote, I will probably upload as individual posts, five of my favorite HONY stories. 

Google: humans of new york (Images)

6 down, 35 to go

Early November 2015- Shoot. I am behind in my blog writing if I want to surpass last year's posts... I can write ~20 this month and the rest next month. I'll get started on it tonight.

That night I watched five hours of Drop Dead Diva on Netflix.

Late November 2015- Woohoo. I only have thirty-something to write. I can post a couple a day and finish before Christmas. It will be a great challenge. 

December 2015- I busied myself with reading books and watching more Netflix. 

December 29th, 2015 [6 hr drive back to LA from Tucson, AZ]- I suppose I can write 15 blog posts tomorrow. 

December 30th, 2015 [while propagating tissue cell lines in the lab]- What??????? Today is the 30th! (For some reason, I thought I had four days remaining in the month.)

December 31st, 2015- I may as well try to write as many posts as I can while in the lab. 

thefunnybeaver