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I went to listen t Reese Erlich's lecture in Berkeley this afternoon. He is a journalist with San Francisco Chronicle, and his book, The Iran Agenda: The Real Story of US Policy and the Middle East, was just published. The topic of his lecture was: "Will the US attack
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A Gorgeous Water Lily (niloofar) in a Pond in Napa Valley Today. I am so proud of my picture! My friends came and took me to Napa Valley today. Napa Valley boasts gorgeous scenery, hundreds of vinyards (takestan), and olive trees. I was feeling so much better today, and
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Massouleh, Gilan, Photo By Nigel Bahrani It's Friday. I had eftari and dinner guests tonight. I took some sweet pictures of my eftari spread to show you, but somehow they were lost and I am bummed out about it. I grew up in a big family, with many siblings
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Mehr (September) is Harvest Time at a Kerman Sunflower Farm As more and more bad news arrives, I continue to worry about Iran. My mind and heart is full of beautiful images of Iran, its mountains, valleys, farms, rivers, and seas. I remember its wonderful people, kind and hospitable
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Those of you who live in these parts have probably heard of Iranican, a group of young, bright, and beautiful second-generation Iranians who, through their website and weekly television program try to engage second generation Iranians in arts, cultural and social issues, and music of Iran. They were at
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Come in to my house! Befarmaeed! So, O.K. I got sick. I saw it coming, but couldn't stop it. Against my best efforts of getting up, showering, getting dressed and ready to go to work this morning, I realized I couldn't do it. I changed and went back to
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San Francisco Bay From Ghirardelli Square, Saturday, September 8, 2007, having lunch with Mersedeh & Shabnam I went to wish Dr. Zari Taheri a safe trip back to Japan tonight. Too bad she won't be back for another year or so. Her students in Japan are so lucky. I
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Some days are hard. Coming out of several weeks' hard work, sleeplessness, and stress, I was so looking forward to starting a relaxing and commitment-free week. My week has gotten off to a stressful start, with trepidations about what happened today at Columbia University, what is happening in my
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O.K. This is the last set of pictures (I'm exhausted!). From the top: Leva of Baloot; Teleconferencing with Sanam Dowlatshahi of Khorshid Khanoom, talking about internet and bloggers; Jahanshah Javid accepts Certificate of Honor from City of San Francisco's Board of Supervisors for his service to Iranian community in
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From the top: Marjan of Saat-e-Sheni, Omid Memarian, Mandana of Baraneh, Ala Hazrat Haji Agha himself, reading Dr. Shirin Ahmadnia's (Az Zendegi) message from Tehran.
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From the top: Mehdi Yahyanejad of Balatarin, with Sepideh Sigarchi, Vice President of San Francisco State University's Iranian Cultural Club Hamed Nikpay, Jahanshah Javid of Iranian.com, Bruce Bahmani, an Iranian.com writer, and Arash Sobhani (of Kiosk) Ahmad Kiarostami, graphics artist and director. More later
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From Top: Sima Shakshari of Farangopolis presents her research. Ehsan Akhbari of Shena dar Shenzar reads one of his posts. Hamed Nikpay and Tobias Roberson present their Persian fusion music. More later.
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We are here. We did five blog presentations already, and now Sima Shakshari of Farangopolis is giving her presentation. I'm glad I'm done with my reading! Take a look at http://parsarts.com / who are live-blogging the event. Here's my picture of (from right) Omid Memarian, Arash Aramesh of Berkeley
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Iranians on the Internet A One Day Gathering It has been a crazy few weeks. I am no stranger to volunteer work. I participate in community affairs for the honor and joy of participation. On top of that, I love nothing more than to work with young Iranians who
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September 21st, a day of ceasefire, a day of non-violence, a day of inter-cultural cooperation... See here.
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I put the agenda in my blog on Iranian.com. You can see it here. If you live in these parts, it would be a pleasure to see you there. I'm so looking forward to seeing my friends and soon-to-be-friends this Saturday. I am also excited to be seeing my artist
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Autumn is upon us in the San Francisco Bay Area. An Autumn child myself, I have always looked forward to the time of year in September (Shahrivar), when all of a sudden nighttime and early mornings turn cooler, promising the upcoming change of seasons. Quite indeliberately, I tune into
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On Sunday, September 9th we went to see Shahrokh Moshkin Ghalam's Dance Variations on Persian Themes in Los Gatos. It was an amazing performance by him and two other female dancers, Karine Gonzalez and Sahar Dehghan. They performed several solo and duo pieces, choreographed by Moshkin Ghalam to Iranian
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"The Street Lined With Trees" Vali-e-Asr Avenue, Tehran I finally have permission from my older son to post pieces of a poem he wrote for his English 222 class. Take a look: .......... I am from a living, moss covered bridge, Forsaken near the Caspian Sea, A kingdom to
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My friend Mana has invited me to participate in the Bloggers’ Game, Vatan Chist?, or what is the meaning of “homeland” to you. My country, my “homeland” is where I feel I belong. It is where I have memories. It is where I understand the language. It is where
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I went to see my family this morning. Having lived in these parts for over 30 years, my family members are by now avid American football lovers. I don't really understand the game, nor do I have any inclination to learn it after close to 30 years! I only
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It's Friday, and I am so looking forward to the weekend, when I will finally get a chance to rest a little after keeping a very crazy schedule for a couple of weeks. This weekend I will attend a dinner party in honor of Dr. Zari Taheri, and will
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Maz Jobrani signs his DVD for me. This post is for one of my readers, Pardis, who has had a long week, full of bad news and depressing events. My friend, Dr. Jaleh Pirnazar, who is a lecturer of Farsi literature at University of California at Berkeley, took me
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This has been a busy week. Work has been intense, and I have finally pulled my act together to make numerous lists, crossing off things that I am determined to complete. On the personal front, since Sunday I have met a dancer, a pottery artist, and an author, all
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Let me tell you one of the most beautiful love stories ever written in Persian Literature. It will be summarized. If you would like to read more or in Farsi, let me know and we will figure out a way to make sure you get to see this gem
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I asked the young Russian woman who was my translator whether they were saying anything about Ahmad Shah Massoud’s health after the explosion. She listened and said: “Some say he is still alive. Americans say he is dead.” In the afternoon, as we were driving back into the city,
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The road I take going home from work everyday in Berkeley/Oakland Hills. Over the years, the shapes and sizes of houses where I have lived have changed. From my huge childhood house in suburban Tehran, to a tiny college-student studio in Berkeley, to the house in which I now
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Click on image to read. On Saturday, September 22nd, there will be a gathering of Iranian bloggers, internet professionals, and audiences in San Francisco State University. If you live in this area, it would be so good to see you there. Bloggers of Northern California, and a few from
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Backstage at Shahrokh Moshkin Ghalam's performance tonigt. Iranian music master, Mahmoud Zolfonoon is warmly received by the dancer. Mersedeh had made an appointment to go see Shahrokh Moshkin Ghalam backstage to photograph him for a piece she is doing for Peyk. I tagged along and met him in person.
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Click on the image to read. This week went by in a blur. Much is happening on the work front, with new projects and exciting changes. I come home tired but happier than I have been for a while. I just finished some volunteer work, and though I'm exhausted,
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My objects of prayer today. Click on picture to see what I mean. Throughout my life, I have been close to people who are dedicated to their religious beliefs. Some pray five times a day, some never miss their Sunday Mass, some attend Friday prayers, and some observe Sabbath
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I will miss Luciano Pavarotti. He sings to the angels now. He has finally found his worthy chorus.
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I had a busy day at work. I then met up with Roja (Tameshk), and her husband Hossein in Berkeley, with Mehran joining us before running to his class. Roja and Hossein are so delightful, young and brimming with intelligence. I had a picture to show you, but I
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Let me tell you one of the most beautiful love stories ever written in Persian Literature. It will be summarized. If you would like to read more or in Farsi, let me know and we will figure out a way to make sure you get to see this gem
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Lafayette Reservoir near my house I had dinner with a King (“without a throne, and a Haji Agha without a prayer”) last night. It was a delightful time, as is always with him, though I think His Majesty was coming down with a cold, and was a bit quiet!
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I have a new post in my blog on Iranian.com. It's entitled Googling Iranian Style. Shobeir's post about people finding his blog searching for "Shajarian's Wife's Photo" reminded me that I had to finish this piece! Thanks Shobeir. P.S. Serendip reports that with all the serious material she posts
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This is my corner at the dining table, where I sit and do my internet reading and writing. In other times in my life, I have had access to large areas of space for personal use. At the end of the day, I have come to realize that we
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Young masters Mohammad Reza Lotfi, Hengameh Akhavan, and Bijan Kamkar play the timeless Iranian gem of a song. I am off for the three-day weekend, entertaining long awaited relatives, cooking, and eating with my family, something that is more of a novelty for me these days. I'm around, so
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