The Sonoran Desert

Saguaro National Monument Visitor Center

A cactus "skeleton"

At Organ Pipe Visitor Center

We drove about an hour and a half to go to the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, which is designated as a UNESCO biosphere reserve. The Park Ranger explained that it is a very unique area, where animals and plants need to withstand extreme temperatures in order to survive. Outside the visitor center, there was a plaque that said, "if patience is a virtue, then the desert is virtuous". All of the plants and animals are always patiently waiting, for rain, transportation, or some opportunity, which they seize to quickly "live their lives", and then return to patiently waiting. One plant, called the Octochillo, looks like a bunch of dead thorny branches because it uses only its bark for photosynthesis. When rain comes, within 48 hours all the branches sprout leaves and sometimes, little red flowers that look like candle flames. 

This area of Tucson is famous for the saguaro cacti. Apparently it is illegal to kill them, a law put in place because people used to get drunk and then shoot the cacti so that they would fall over. Several of these drunks would also get injured in the process. One guy was upset that a cactus did not fall over after he shot it, so he went and kicked it, then a 500 pound branch of the cactus fell on him. They do not look like they would be so heavy, but the skeleton of the cactus actually looks just like a tree. The green flesh and spines surround wood. 

There are 28 species of cacti in this reserve. The saguaro look like the cacti you commonly see on TV, one giant tube with a few other tubes coming out like arms from the top. The organ pipe cactus looks like an organ pipe--many thinner tubes coming from the ground like a fan. I didn't get the names of all the cacti, but there were a lot of different types. Some were small and fuzzy, and others were squat and round. In some areas, it looked like we were on the ocean floor, since the plants looked more like corals  because they were dry and hard. There is an endangered fish called the pupfish that managed to survive since this area actually used to be ocean. It lives in puddles, and moves slowly; they look like bottom feeders. They are endangered because the puddles often dry up, and they die. 

Since we had time, we also went to Saguaro Cactus State Park, which had a lot of really large cacti, and some nice scenic drives. 

Since this area is close to the Mexican border, there are quite a few checkpoints. It wasn't difficult for us, since they just asked if we were all US citizens, and then let us through. There were signs though, asking you to report illegal activity if you see it. 

Tucson, Arizona

I arrived in Tucson, Arizona, at around 11:00 in the morning. We had a great lunch in downtown Tucson, at the Little One. They serve Mexican food, including fresh juice. The four of us got their surprise platters, which are a sample of all the dishes that they have available. The owner is a very friendly lady who speaks Spanish, and says goodbye to all her customers with a hug. There is even a sign that says "hugs are mandatory". Among the sample of dishes we had, my favorites were the creamy chicken soup, the chipotle sauce, and the sweet corn tamale. The chicken mole and beef dishes were good too. 

We rented an Airbnb ranch, called the homestead. It's not a convenient location, but it is a beautiful, peaceful area. The owners are bird watchers, so there are elaborate bird feeders all over the property, some filled with types of insects, others with fruits, and others with seeds. You can watch the birds from the wide Windows, which also face east so you can see the sunrise.

The desert is quite chilly (though warm compared to New York), so the gas run fireplace is great to have at night.

We went on a scenic drive up amount Lemmon. Tucson is surrounded by purple mountains, which could have inspired that line about "purple mountains majesty". The landscape changes dramatically as you ascend. It's so cold that you see snow, and then more woody trees. 

The view from the top of the mountain is beautiful. I travelled so much internationally that I sometimes forget how stunning America really is. The long expanse of desert and the towering mountains is a reminder that, despite how urban and industrialized the coasts are, there is still this wild heartland that is largely untouched.

Scandinavia House

I have been working at the United Nations for quite some time now, but about a month ago, I visited the Scandinavia House for the first time. It isn't connected to the United Nations at all, but I was surprised that I hadn't noticed it before, given the amount of time that I spend in the neighborhood.

I was introduced to it because I started knitting recently, and every two weeks, there is a knitting club that meets at the Scandinavia House. Wine and snacks are provided, and a very nice group of people gather there with their projects. I even saw one woman who was spinning her own yarn, which inspired me to try to learn that too. Apparently, in the old days, single women would spin yarn for a living, hence the term "spinster". I bought a drop spindle, and it has been pretty difficult so far, but I'm hoping that I will get the hang of it soon.

After attending the knitting club, I was placed on their mailing list, and found out that an author I really like, Fredrik Backman, was going to do an interview and a book signing there. His most famous book is "A Man Called Ove", which was recently made into a film and might be up for an Oscar. I have not read it yet, but I did read "My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry," and liked it very much. That book is about a young girl named Elsa, who has trouble fitting in at school and making friends. She is very close to her grandma, who is her hero in many ways, but her grandmother passes away from cancer. After the grandma's death, she leaves Elsa a bunch of letters, with a mission to deliver them to people that she wants to apologize to. In the process of delivering the letters, Elsa encounters new friends, and comes to understand other loved ones in her life in a new way.

Someone asked Backman how he was able to write the character of a 7 year old girl so well. He replied that he did not write the character with a particular gender in mind, rather he just wrote as a 7 year old child, since 7 year old boys and girls are not so different. He said that as a child, he was very lonely and often bullied, and identified with Elsa in many ways.

The characters in his books are usually quite complex. Ove apparently, is a grouchy man. Backman said that when he began writing that book, he started by collecting articles of ridiculous things that people did, such as an old man who sued a zoo because they advertised that you could "play with the monkeys", and in reality, you cannot actually play with the monkeys because they are in a cage. He said, "think about the biggest jerks that you might meet. At then end of the day, these jerks go home, and there is someone who loves them. There is someone who thinks they are great." For the zoo example, he mentioned that the old man who sued was in his 60s, so he must have gone to the zoo with his grandchildren, and one of the grandchildren must have gotten upset about not actually being able to play with the monkeys. Backman further adds that, "if someone is a jerk, but they make you laugh, you are still going to like them." His books introduce a character that seems like a jerk, but then throughout the book, you realize that you like them anyway. You start to understand their motives and emotions, and then they don't seem so awful after all.

His books have an interesting way of dealing with very heavy topics, such as the death of a grandmother, in a light hearted way that can make you laugh.

Backman's new book, which is due to be translated into English soon, is called Beartown. It is a small town in Sweden that is obsessed with their hockey team, and this boy who is a great hockey star grew up with everyone telling him he would save the town. Then, he commits a horrible crime (either rape or sexual assault), and the entire town is divided over what to do about it, with most of the town siding with the boy. According to Backman, this book is meant to explore what we, as people, are willing to forgive some people for, just because they are really good at one particular thing. We see this in the news all the time, with light sentences, or no sentences, being given to male athletes because the judges don't want to "ruin their lives".

The interview with Backman was funny and very insightful. He said that he thinks of himself as a good storyteller, not necessarily a good writer. Using music as an example, he said, some people are great songwriters, but not very good at playing instruments. Others are great at playing instruments, but cannot write songs. In some artists, these two skills overlap, just as it does for some writers. But he maintains that he does not consider himself a good writer, and is working on improving his writing. Apparently, he wanted to be a writer since he was a child. He was awkward and had trouble communicating, so he liked writing because you can erase and edit. If he fought with his dad, he would leave a letter for his dad on the counter, and in the next morning, he would find his dad's written reply. He claims that today, they still communicate mostly this way.

Backman's wife is Iranian, which was part of the inspiration for the neighbors in a Man Called Ove. Someone in the audience asked if Ove was against immigrants, and whether he changes this view at the end of the book. Backman explained that some critics described Ove as a racist, which he was not happy with, because he did not think Ove was a racist at the end of the book, or at the beginning of the book, rather Ove just hates everyone, regardless of race.

At the end of the interview, there were books available for purchase, which Backman then signed. I bought two books, including the one about Elsa and her Grandmother. When signing it, he drew a picture of what I thought was a big shaggy dog. "The wurse is not a dog," he said. In the book, the "wurse", which looks like a large shaggy dog, eats chocolate. "I got so many angry letters about how I was irresponsible in telling children to feed dogs chocolate, and I had to say to them that the wurse is not a dog! That's why he can eat chocolate."

I plan to read a Man Called Ove in the coming weeks.

Ciate

Three great things happened to me this week.

First, I found out that my living room heat is connected to my roommate's heat, so I can warm up the room by turning on the heat in his room. During the past few weeks, I was left with the choice of being warm in my own room and watching TV on an 11 inch laptop, or being cold and watching the large screen TV (which belongs to my roommate) in the living room. Now I can have my cake and eat it two.

Second, I went to a really great book signing event, which will be a separate post.

Third, I bought myself a Christmas present. I think perhaps people do this already, but if they do not, I highly recommend buying yourself a Christmas gift too. I love advent calendars, and over the past few years, I would buy the traditional advent calendars, that have chocolate inside. For those unfamiliar with advent calendars, they are the best. They should just have a 365 day advent calendar. Typically however, advent calendars are only for the month of December, and are a count down until Christmas day. It is usually made of cardboard, with little doors to represent the 25 days of December up until Christmas. Each day, you open a door, and get a small chocolate. I used to keep one in the office, so that when I went in on Monday (the most difficult day of the week), I would have Saturday's, Sunday's, AND Monday's chocolate waiting for me. Usually, the door to 25 is extra large and has an exceptionally large piece of chocolate inside. For any advent calendar newbies, I believe Trader Joe's sells 99 cent advent calendars which are really nice.

I've been trying to do less online shopping, but I got a special gift card from Sephora, and it seemed a waste to not use it, so I decided to buy myself a gift. Originally I was going to buy something practical, like face lotion or sunscreen, but then I saw this nail polish advent calendar by Ciate.

I don't usually use nail polish, mainly because I read that it is bad for your nails (just from the smell, it seems obvious that it's pretty toxic and probably not something you should be putting on your body, including your nails), but also because I do a lot with my hands, and usually can't keep a manicure for more than five days.

Growing up however, my grandmother was obsessed with nail polish. I don't think I have ever seen her without nail polish. The few times I saw her natural nails were in between polish changes. To her, having her nails painted was like putting on clothes. She simply didn't walk around with naked nails. Back in her day, the fashion was to have the nails filed a bit pointy, and it was unheard of to use colors other than red. We discussed this, because I had a blue nail polish, which she thought was not worthy of existing let alone garnishing anyone's fingers. She really liked to layer multiple colors, so she really would have loved a brand like Ciate, that has tutorials on layering colors or adding glitter.

I got the set a few days ago, and pretty much opened every box the same day. I guess that's also why I had such a good week--I opened 25 days worth of little surprises in less than 25 minutes.

The colors are diverse, and all very beautiful. What I liked the most though, was that each box had a nice drawing or a whimsical quote on it. For example:

"The most alluring thing a woman can have is confidence." - Beyonce

"Be a first rate version of yourself instead of a second rate version of somebody else" - Judy Garland

"It always seems impossible until it is done."

Nothing mind blowing, just small simple words (that I suppose are meant to brighten each day, but again I opened it all at once). All of the nail polishes are small, except for the 25th, which is full sized. Since I don't use that much polish, I gave a few boxes to friends as Christmas gifts, and they seemed to enjoy them.

If anyone is looking for a great gift for Christmas, I would highly recommend it (provided the recipient doesn't mind that it is an advent calendar.