Inside Ellie's Head

MobileMe to the Rescue: A modern detective story

 

On Monday morning, I discovered that my iPhone 4 was missing. Someone had taken it right off my desk at work. First of all, what kind of a person steals a phone from a co-worker?? I think we could have a lengthy discussion about that alone! My guess is that the same type of person who'd come to your home, see your engagement ring on the mantel and stick it in her pocket when you step into the kitchen to pour her a glass of wine.

For years now, I have been a loyal MobileMe customer, forking over my $100 at the beginning of every October to keep my cloud alive. When my Sprint contract was finally fulfilled and I was free to switch to the AT&T network and purchase that iPhone I'd had my eye on for years, I was ecstatic. One of the first things I did was set up MobileMe on my brand new iPhone 4. And when I saw that little option at the bottom of the settings page for "Find my iPhone", I didn't even think twice before turning the feature on. 

So when my phone went missing, after turning my home, desk, and car inside out, I logged into my MobileMe account and tried to locate my iPhone through "Find my iPhone." Whoever had taken my phone had turned it off. No data communication, no location.

I slept terribly Monday night, thinking about what pervert was looking through the thousands of pictures featuring me and my loved ones, sifting through my calendar, and checking out the calorie counter app I recently downloaded to keep track of what I ate throughout the day. When I woke up on Tuesday morning, all I could think about was logging onto MobileMe with the hope that sometime during the night the perve had turned my phone on. My heart rate shot up when the blue dot appeared on top of a house in Hawthorne, about 20 miles south of where I actually live. I zoomed into the location and took a screenshot. Then I google mapped the location, went to street view and zoomed into the house. I printed all the pages out and went to work optimistic that I had enough evidence to incriminate the person living in that house. My only challenge: finding the person who lived in that house! 

Once I got to work, I asked around the office a bit and found out that the house in question (where my phone spent the night) belonged to this girl who works two cubicles over from me. She's a legal secretary for a lawyer. I spent all of Tuesday in meetings with the office security, management, hr, etc. 

Finally, the manager called me, the girl, and her boss into her office. She showed the girl the picture of the house and said: "Do you know this house?"

"Yeah. That's my house." the girl answered without hesitation. 

Then we shared with her and her boss that my phone was taken from my desk yesterday morning and that at 10:51Pm last night, my phone was at her house. The girl denied taking it. Said someone was trying to "frame" her. Started to cry.  Then said: "You want me to pay for it? I don't have your phone. I didn't take it. But I'll pay for it." 

Her boss asked her to empty her purse and as she did, she said: "You can come and search my house from top to bottom. It's not there. Because I don't have it."

On Friday, she handed me cash for the phone which I used to purchase a new iPhone 4 at the AT&T store that same day. The matter was resolved without a police report. I did not want to press charges if I could avoid it because I felt bad about what that would mean to her three small children. What baffles me is that she still has her job. One thing is for sure, I am not leaving that phone laying around any  more, even if it's on my own desk for a minute or two while I run the lady's room.

There you have it folks! MobileMe and "Find my iPhone" helped save the day! 

 

Art as defined by a 19-Year-Old me

Here's an entry from an old journal... scribbled in pencil when I was 19 and in art school... 

08-23-2000

"Art shouldn't be about 'the every day'. It should be about my everyday. It shouldn't talk about how women feel about a subject. It should be about how I as a woman (and a person) feel about it. 

Just to make people catch a small glimpse of my existence. It's not much but it's worth living for. 

After all - isn't this why people have children - in a way their kids become their audience AND their work of art at the same time. Like hitting two birds with one stone but both birds fly off... What do they leave other than a memory?

I want to be that memory in someone's head. I want them to think one day: 'Wow. That [which I created] change how I look at the world.. even for a short while.' 

And through their memories, I will have existed, I will have lived, even if it is for a moment."

A 13-Inch Donation...

I donated 13 inches of my hair to Locks of Love this week. I got it cut on Friday (about five days ago) and sent my hair in on Monday. Here are the before and after pictures. 

A homeless guy named Bob

I just bought a homeless guy on Westwood $20 worth of food at Whole Foods... Pizza, juice, some snacks. It's strange walking passed a hand full of other homeless people sitting on the side of the street to hand a bag of food to that particular one. 

Why him? you ask.. I don't really have an answer to that. It was the way he stood up as I walked passed him I guess. Very softly he said: "Excuse me Maam." I look at him. He was tall, his eyes were so sad and tired, and his lips were completely chapped and pealing. "I'm so hungry." His voice and the way he spoke were so genuine. I believed him. And if you believe such a thing, how can you turn around and walk away? Another human being standing in front of you, pleading for help. How could I turn my back on a person, so bare and vulnerable. 

"I'm going to Whole Foods. Is there anything in particular I can get for you?"

"Some Pancakes perhaps." Pancakes?

"I'm not sure if they'll have pancakes but I'll grab you something hot."

So I got him some pizza, apple juice and snacks. When I handed him the bag, he told me that his name is Bob. 

"Nice to meet you Bob," I said to him as I walked away, "You be safe now."

Conan O'Brien at The Palms

Last Saturday we saw Conan O'Brien perform at The Palms in Las Vegas.   

I have to admit that this "Legally Prohibited From Being Funny On Television Tour" is littered with great ideas both new and recycled (from the good old Conan-On-TV days). Conan O'Brien is nothing if not clever and inventive. His silly and (at times) twisted sense of humor has gotten us hooked-on-Conan for so many years. Yet as I watched him often not-so-gracefully jump, gallop, and wiggle from one act to another, two main thoughts floated around in my head, bouncing off the padded insides of my skull:  

"Wow! Conan O'Brien is definitely human... in fact, I think he's really out of his element." was the first which gracefully lead into the second thought: "Comedy is really really hard." I often have this second thought. Usually it follows seeing a spectacular performer or one who just can't get it right... Secretly, I've always wanted to be funny, perhaps do some stand up, entertain people with jokes... Usually my attempts at being funny are followed by this second thought...

Conan's transitions were rough, his timing was at times off so the punchline was delayed which made the joke more clever than funny. "That would have been so funny if it wasn't so... smarty pants." I caught myself thinking at one point. The very thought made me realize that I wasn't fully invested in the act any more which brought me to the "Conan is human" thought and finally to the "it's hard to be funny" thought. 

Conan seemed out of his element. He admitted candidly that this was the very first time anyone had ever paid to see him perform. 

Perhaps one of the greatest treats was seeing Conan O'Brien perform music. The man is quite talented and his love for music simply illuminates him when he is playing. I'm certain that it didn't hurt one bit that the band accompanying Conan was absolutely amazing. On the giant screen over Conan's head we could see the band members pointing and laughing along to jokes they must have heard dozens of times. Yet no amount of distractions, whether it was a self-pleasuring panda or a giant blow up (tacky) dragon-bat, could keep them from staying on top of their game and making some beautiful live music.   

With an instrument in hand whether it's a guitar or he's sitting behind the keyboard, Conan looks comfortable and even sexy, I have to admit. Without it, he can be bit clanky and awkward like a marionette. Especially when he is making fun of his own physique by erratically throwing around his long Jack Skellington-esque limbs. 

I left the show hopeful! Conan, in his failure to be the master of that live stage, made me aware of how much hard work, practice and dedication goes into every act. I'm sure that by the 10th city, all the glitches will be fixed, the transitions smoothed over, and the jokes polished. But I'm glad, I didn't see his 10th or 32nd performance. I'm glad I got to see his first, possibly his worst performance of the tour, the one that made him most nervous.   

There is no doubt about it, the man is brilliant, he's funny, clever, and extremely talented. Yet, it is comforting to know that he is not perfect, that he too gets nervous.

Winning and Loosing in Las Vegas

It would have been just another Vegas trip complete with expensive meals, too many people dressed in mini skirts, and the constant ringing, buzzing, screeching, and chiming of noise-makers both inanimate and alive. 

Visiting Las Vegas is usually a disappointing experience. Vegas is about losing things. Losing money, losing time, losing sleep, losing patience, losing the sweet smell of freshly washed hair and clothes. Yet this town which is built on the philosophy of taking things away from thousands and thousands of people -- valuable things that may never be replaced (I will never get those three days back for instance...) -- is very very clever. 

How? No matter how much you might lose, Vegas has a way of making you feel like a winner. Robert and I lost a few hundred dollars, spent another few hundred on food. That's not mentioning lodging, cab fare, and what we spent getting to Vegas. Still... I look at the dress I bought at the Cesar's Palace Mall and the pictures I took at Conan O'Brien's show at The Palms and I think: "You know.. It was worth it."

AIDS Walk LA 2008

There is a great amount of energy created, in addition to the money raised, when thousands of people stroll down the otherwise traffic congested streets of Hollywood in solidarity. There are love and compassion at play. A sense of generosity that penetrates through ones flesh and bones and into the soul. There is a sense of making a difference and being a part of something much bigger and much more profound than one person can achieve on his own. There is a sense of pride for the human qualities that have the power to inspire over 30,000 people to walk together and raise $3.2 million collectively.

Congratulations Walkers! 

Here are a few pictures I took with my camera phone. :)

A little Stretch can go a long way

I've always wondered why stretching is an accepted and integral part of some types of dance lessons and not others. You will be hard pressed to find a Ballet or Hip Hop class that does not start and / or finish the lesson with a stretching sequence, yet you'll have trouble finding a ballroom teacher who is willing to spend any time on stretching before she starts to teach you a new Waltz move or Salsa sequence. 

Also, many Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Modern, and Hip Hop lessons tend to be more than 1 hour in duration while 45 minutes has become a standard for Ballroom lessons. Yet ballroom dancing puts just as much demand on a person's body. Does it not make sense that we should stretch before a Cha Cha or Bolero lesson? 

Perhaps we have good old Arthur Murray to thank for this phenomena. After all, shorter lessons to which you are not required to show up in comfortable work out clothes appeal to a larger group of potential students. 

The benefits of stretching should not be overlooked in the realm of couple dances. By just stretching a few minutes every day, you can gain more than physical flexibility alone. According to Michael J. Alter, the author of Stretch and Strengthen and Sport Stretch, benefits of stretching include:

• enhanced physical fitness
• enhanced ability to learn and perform skilled movements
• increased mental and physical relaxation
• enhanced development of body awareness
• reduced risk of injury to joints, muscles, and tendons
• reduced muscular soreness
• reduced muscular tension
• increased suppleness due to stimulation of the production of chemicals which lubricate connective tissues
• reduced severity of painful menstruation (dysmenorrhea) in females

Ideas for a Peaceful World...

I believe that there is a sense of collectiveness in peace. If you see everyone else as part of your own family or even as an extension of yourself, there is a chance you will:

-  Refrain from waging needless war on them. 

-  Try to understand the motivation in their actions and frustrations. 

-  Try to preserve their home, find them shelter if you can, or simply be compassionate to their living situations. 

It comes down to compassion and seeing people as individuals who are part of our immediate social circle rather than some other entity or group.I do think that for many people developing compassion for others is a process and will take some time. 

It is not possible to have peace outside of ones self if there is no peace within. The same way that one cannot love and respect another human being without first loving and respecting ones self. 

I honestly don't know what complete peace would look like. But if I was asked to make some suggestions towards it, I guess these few items come to mind:

*  There should be collection agencies set up that are in charge of collecting, sorting through, and distributing the following items across the US:

-  Books and learning materials that are thrown away by affluent schools. These can be taken to schools with more limited resources. 

-  Food that is being thrown away every day at restaurants, coffee shops, etc. can be picked up and taken to shelters. There can be carts set up in poor neighborhoods where people can come and pick up the food. Many coffee houses will bake breads and pastries in the morning only to throw them away that same night. 

-  Clothing, etc. 

*  For many countries it is cheeper to dump excess food supplies into the ocean than to ship them to a country in need. There should be government incentives set up for companies to collect and ship foods from manufacturers and growers. Many times if a product is in any way "deformed" it gets tossed even though it is perfectly fine. Why not take it to someone in need? 

*  There should be a truly universal healthcare system that covers every person on the planet and is paid for by all countries. This way it becomes in our immediate interest to educate people and to prevent disease in countries other than our own. Equal attention should be paid and equal amount of money should be spent on education and prevention as on treatment. Fitness club, yoga & meditation centers should be open and free for all people to use. 

Funeral Services

The Funeral Services for my grandfather, Mohammad Shahrestani, will be held at the location listed below, tomorrow, April 30, 2008 at 9:00AM.

Forest Lawn
4471 Lincoln Avenue
Cypress, CA 90630
714-828-3131

Thank you for being with us and for your email responds.

Ellie