London & Matt in Tucson!!!

Picked up London and Matthew from the Tucson airport and brought them back to my little studio. It was so good to see them! Haven't seen London since October and Matthew since the Burn in August. We immediately hit the thrifty shopper for fun stuff for the Toast. Just like at Burningman...you gotta have crazy fun outfits to wear! I had a lot of fun wheeling Matt around in the shopping cart while he put on fun scarfs andhats while talking about all the pretty fabric. The local people in the store were definitely confused at what was going on, and London distanced herself from us a bit...went off to look at shoes, while Matt and I went around the store all crazy like, dressing him up in all kinds of pretty shiny girly things...it was a good time :)

Although, I really really wanted to go to the Toast too, I ended up staying home while my buddies rented a car and took off for the regional burn in Northern Arizona. I was sad to see them go and jealous to hear about their adventures when they got back. But it was all for the best because I needed to stay back and take care of some things. I am really happy they went though, and I'll be looking forward to attending next year! London wrote a great blog about their Toast adventures and posted some fun pictures. You can read all about it here!

One reason I didn't go along to the Toast was to save some money and make-up a shoot I had missed the weekend before because I had to have surgery. I was also still recovering from this and needed more down time at home before taking off for 2 weeks of shooting in Los Angeles.

A week before London & Matt arrived I had surgery to remove some ugly cancer cells off my cervix. Yeah, nasty girl stuff...my poor vagina is not so happy. I have stomach cramps, am always bleeding & have to wear big poofy pads that I hate (feel like I'm wearing diapers, ick!) and can't take baths or have sex for 4-6 weeks. It's a big bummer and not something most people want to hear about...but I got it taken care of and hopefully I can remain cancer free. My first checkup with the doc after surgery was good, but I won't know if I'm all cleared of the cervical cancer threat until my next checkup in 2 months. But I'm feeling good about it. It's not gonna get me down ;)

So...back to fun things to talk about...

Since London & Matt are now vegetarians, we had to find a restaurant in town that catered to the veggies. Although London found a vegetarian buffet, my boyfriend Josh suggested a small little family owned Ethiopian restaurant called Zemams. He has been talking about taking me there for a long time, so I was happy to check it out. I don't think London was too excited about it, but once we starting eating, I know Matthew was sure enjoying it! I really liked it too! They serve you dollops of different kinds of food on a injera bread. You then eat the food with the bread using just your hands. It was so yummy, fun and inexpensive.

Here's an example of some menu items:

Shiro: A unique traditional dish of pureed chickpees blended with berbere and other spices
Doro Wat: Traditional chicken dish slowly cooked in a rich, spicy berbere sauce served with hard-boiled eggs
Yemisir Wat: Mild vegetarian lentil stew
Gomen Alicha: Carrots, cabbage and potatoes in a mild sauce
Yemisir Kay Wat: Sauteed onions and red lentils in a spicy berbere sauce

If you are in Tucson or ever in the area, I suggest stopping by! The place is set in a small home type atmosphere and is decorated with Ethiopian art pieces and artifacts which help make it a unique experience. Bring lots of friends, try all the different kinds of food, and have a great time! That's Zemam's


Photo Credits:
London & Matthew @ BurningMan 2008, taken by me
London, Matthew and Me @ BurningMan 2008, taken by me
Zemam's Ethiopian Cuisine, taken from the web
Zemam's Food on Injera bread, taken from the web