The Namjoo Weekend

I've been so bad with my blogs! I haven't written anything here for a few days and I so miss it! My life has been more complicated than usual, that's my only excuse. I have been on a rollercoaster of feelings and thoughts of late, making it hard to sit down and write. So...let's see... How can I make it up to my few loyal fans here?! I will share some pictures and some links with you, that's how! I hope it works!

First let me tell you about a couple of pieces I have written recently. One is a piece I wrote in my series "Kissing All The Frogs" on Iranian.com. The series, you might remember, are about relationships. I have tried being a little bolder in my writing, continuing to write more for myself than for others, as I need the growth challenge right about this time in my life! This one's called Men 101 which I wrote after Women 101. If you like, share your thoughts there or here, wherever feels more comfortable for you.

Next, I wrote a personal review of Mohsen Namjoo's concert in San Francisco this past Saturday night. Here it is. Speaking of Namjoo, I went to a party at sweet Shadi and Ardalan's house this weekend and met him there. Namjoo is truly a remarkable performer, and a shy and observant man in person. So, here are my photographs. Please forgive the haphazard ways in which they appear. I had a really hard time loading photos tonight.

At the Namjoo Concert, Saturday, September 6, 2008. Left to right, actor extraordinaire Behrouz Vossoughi, Alahazrat Mehran, beautiful VOA personality, Luna Shaad, and Arash Sobhani of Kiosk.

Friends at the Namjoo Concert, from left: Payam, Ehsan, Maryam, Jahanshah, beautiful Persian dance artist, Heather Rastovac, Mehran, and Reza.

At the Namjoo after party, from left Ehsan, Maryam, Jahanshah, and Mehran.

Behrouz Vossoughi posed for me at the Namjoo concert.

At Shadi and Ardalan's house...I know something went wrong with my camera here, but looking at the photos, I rather liked this one! From left: Amir Salamat of Beyond Persia, Arash Sobhani of Kiosk, Luna Shaad of VOA, and Ardalan Payvar of Kiosk.

Oh My God! This extraordinary musician, Shahrokh, played nostalgic tunes on the piano and on my heart! He was jamming with the other musicians at the party. Superb!

Beautiful and artistic couple, our hosts, Shadi Yousefian and Ardalan Payvar. Shadi is a successful photographer and a theater actress. Ardalan is a musician with Kiosk and a web designer. Beautiful young people.

From left: Sweet and talented mezzo-soprano and actress Raeeka Shehabi Yaghmai, Ardalan Payvar, and Arash Sobhani of Kiosk.

From left: Raeeka Shehabi Yaghmai, Arash Sobhani, and Mohsen Namjoo.

Mohsen Namjoo and his guitar.