In the company of friends--a reading of “Copenhagen”

I’ll have to warn you--this may look like I am showing off! I promise I can’t help it this time! This Saturday, July 10, 2010, I am going to a very special event. Three of my friends are reading Copenhagen, a play by Michael Frayn, translated into Farsi by another friend of mine! What’s more, the venue for the event is Central Stage, which is managed by another one of my friends! And guess what?! In all likelihood, the cozy and warm theater will be filled with many of my other friends!

Showing off aside, for those who live in this area and have a chance to come join me (and my friends!), there is something really special in store. Director Hamid Ehya’s translation of Copenhagen won the award for “Best Translated Play” from Iranian Playwrights’ Association in 2009. The readers will be Ari Siletz, Bella Warda, and Behzad Golmohammadi. Actor and director Mansour Taeed will be hosting the reading at Central Stage at 5221 Central Avenue in Richmond, CA 94804 at 8:00 p.m.

I hope you can join us if you live in this area. It will be a night to remember!

Copenhagen is a highly acclaimed two-act play by Michael Frayn, about a discussion among the Danish physicist Niels Bohr (1885-1962), his wife, Margrethe Bohr, and the German physicist Werner Heisenberg.

Niels Bohr received a Nobel Prize in Physics in 1922 for his contribution to understanding atomic structure and quantum mechanics. Werner Heisenberg was awarded the 1932 Nobel Prize in Physics for the creation of quantum mechanics and its application. Niels Bohr was a prominent scientist in Denmark whose life was in danger because he was half Jewish. Heisenberg was a high-ranking physicist in Nazi Germany. Both men had the theoretical knowledge of how to create a nuclear bomb. They were once on the same side of the scientific pursuit, but now stood on opposite sides of the war. During the course of the play, the two scientists go through what went on in a meeting at Bohr’s home.

Please see the reading's Facebook page.

Music of Hope

I Am Your Man

I did it my way

I went to vote at the only polling station designated for Northern California this afternoon. There was a huge crowd waiting to vote. Apparently, 800 people had voted in the morning hours and the polling station had run out of ballot sheets by noon. Everyone was told to wait while additional ballot sheets were flown in from Los Angeles. I waited alongside many others for several hours before I was able to cast my vote. People were tired and upset with the inexcusable delay, but they wouldn't leave until they had voted. Even news of Ahmadinejad's win didn't seem to deter anyone from the wait. Several hundred people waited in lines and received tiny slips of paper which showed them entitled to receiving a ballot sheet. I asked an official how many additional ballot sheets had been received and he said "600." So, in all 1,400 people could vote in Northern California today. I don't know whether anyone was turned away when they ran out of the 1,400 ballot sheets, but I was determined to cast my vote, so I waited.

When I finally made it to the room at Emeryville Hilton Hotel to cast my vote, after receiving the stamp in my birth certificate, I was directed to another table where I had to leave a fingerprint on a sheet of paper in return for a ballot. I asked the young man who was taking care of me why the event had been planned so poorly. Afterall, a very large Iranian community lives in my area and they should have anticipated a large turnout. The young man made some apologetic noises and went on to say: "Well, really, I doubt any of this would make that much of a difference, as the results have already been announced." I had bent down to ink my finger when I heard this. Slowly I processed what I had just heard, and straightening up, I said to him: "Young man, you have no right to say that. You are an officer at a polling station which is still open and has to operate according to rules and regulations. I am a voter who is participating in an election. It is quite possibly illegal for you to tell me what you just told me. Furthermore, it is insensitive and inappropriate of you to mock my attempt to vote in an election I see so important, and after waiting for several hours for you to get your act together. Do you see how ridiculous your statement is?" He said: "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

I voted today. Lackluster and seemingly futile, I am not sorry I did. For all the shame and humiliation and concern I have felt over the past four years, the only thing I could do was to cast my one vote. I could do no more. I did it. I don't even have any hopes that my one vote would be counted correctly. But I did the only thing I could do.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdQf_xN_DuU

The Iranian American Weekend

Kayhan Kalhor performs with Brooklyn Riders

I have been attending the Iranian Alliances Across Borders Conference in Berkeley this weekend. It has been a very good time meeting new people and catching up with old friends. My writer friends in Northern California and one from New York are here for the conference and it's been a pleasure hanging out with them. When we went to dinner last night, it was wonderful to look from one end of the table to the next, seeing authors, poets, artists, and musicians all having an Irani dinner together and talking about life! I am also impressed by the beautiful and intelligent young Iranians who have shown up at the conference, whether to present papers and ideas or to receive them.

I'm planning on going to watch Kayhan Kalhor, the Iranian Kamancheh master, perform with Brooklyn Riders tonight. I will let you know all about it! I will also tell you about the Fared Shafinuri concert my friends and I attended last night soon. It was fabulous! Have a great Sunday everybody!

Here and There, Life Goes On

Iranian jazz and blues crooner Rana Farhan performs Drunk With Love. Enjoy!

I continue to maintain my Nowruz energy level and optimism! My attempts at keeping my personal space organized has prevailed and I am glad to report that a lot of my former self is showing again, too! Heeh! It actually feels great! I am laughing more and though I am still way behind in my emails and calls, I am very slowly turning things around! In all of this I have a heightened and focused sense of love and appreciation for my family and for my close friends who are loving, loyal, and always kind to me.

April is turning out to be a busy month, with everything from work to family matters to volunteer assignments and events piling up on me with a full calendar again. No complaints, though, as I am now doing many of the things I really enjoy doing and hanging out with people I really like and respect. I will be meeting up with other writers from the Association of Iranian American Writers this weekend, and I'm really looking forward to the IAAB conference, too.

Later this month there will be a music festival for Iranian.com (Saturday, April 25th), and I have agreed to help out as a volunteer for that fundraising event. I will write more about this later. If you would like to help out, please either buy tickets to the concert which will feature Faramarz Aslani, Arash Sobhani, and Sahba Aminikia (and a surprise guest), or donate to Iranian.com to keep this important Iranian medium afloat and alive.

As chance would have it, I will be visiting with Fared Shafinuri and his band, Tehranosaurus in Berkeley this coming Friday! If you live in these parts and are available to meet some pretty talented young Iranians, let me know! I think we will be hanging out in Berkeley during the afternoon of Friday, April 3rd.

Before I sign off, I want to say one last thing. Life does go on. Even after the worst of events. Even after the biggest losses. I wrote over a year ago about my co-worker's visit to my office to tell me about her impending divorce after a long marriage. All last year I have been watching my friend deal with her new life, making progress one day and retreating on another, trying to make sense of her new life. Today she told me she is going on her first date after her divorce. I doubt anything will come of it, but I am pleased for my friend for picking up the pieces of her life, trying to make herself whole again, and moving on. Even the simplest and most mundane things appear hard and impossible for people who are going through traumatic events. A date is a pretty good start, I should think! Yes, life does go on.

Bay Area Events

If you live in this area, I would like to tell you about a few interesting events.

Tonight I'm going to City of San Francisco Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi's "eid deedani" from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. It is a free art event and Nowruz reception sponsored by Beyond Persia, at the City Hall office of Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi. City Hall; 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place; Room 244; San Francisco, Ca 94102-4689; Office of Ross Mirkarimi: (415) 554-7630; Beyond Persia: (415) 738-2182; Directions . I look forward to seeing my friends, having tea and shirini, taking a look at great art and listening to live music!

On Sunday there will be a concert by Namaad Ensemble at Berkeley's Julia Morgan Theater. I love their music and am delighted to see them perform here. Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94704; 7:30 p.m.

Next Thursday, April 2nd at 7:00 p.m., scholar, author, poet, and my friend Persis Karim will be a guest of UC Berkeley's Institute of European Studies as a part of a year-long public outreach program on Women, Islam and the West. The program aims to place intellectuals, activists, artists, writers and academics in conversation with an informed public to explore the relationship between Islam and Western secularism, particularly as it manifests itself in the lives of women. Persis Karim's lecture is titled, Beyond Memoir: Women, Writing and the Making of Iranian Diaspora Identities, and she will be in conversation with my other good friend, Dr. Jaleh Pirnazar of UC Berkeley. Diesel Books, 5433 College Avenue; Oakland, CA 94618; (510) 653-9965; Get directions.

Next weekend on Saturday and Sunday, April 4th and 5th, IAAB (Iranian Alliances Across Borders) will have its fourth annual conference at UC Berkeley. "This one of a kind conference brings together academics, artists, activists, students, and community leaders representing some of the most prestigious academic and community organizations in the world to discuss the accomplishments and challenges of the Iranian diaspora community." I will be attending this conference and serving as a volunteer at the Association of Iranian American Writers' table.

Unfortunately, since I'll be at the IAAB conference next weekend, I will be missing a wonderful 13-bedar picnic at Tilden Park, organized by my friend, Enayat Katouli. I urge you all to go and have a good time with many other Iranian Berkeleyans! Enayat says: "Annual Sizdah Bedar will be on April 5th ( Sunday ) At Laurel picnic area at Tilden park again. Join your beloved friends and have fun as always as we have every year. Be there at 11.am and bring your share of food, drink, " Ash Reshteh..." , game festivities....... " Here's the Tilden Park in Berkeley map and location of "Laurel " site.

My other very good friend, artist Farrokh Shehabi and his lovely wife, Linda, will also be hosting a 13-bedar picnic on their ranch in Vacaville on Saturday, April 4th, 2009. If you can find the time to go to Farrokh's annual picnic, you will be sure to have a good time. Please drop me an email if you want to go and I will provide directions.

That's it for now! I will write a separate post to catch up with things. Have a beautiful spring everyone!

For Love and Peace

Aksana B., a Ukranian pianist in Sweden, plays Anoushirvan Rohani's Del-e-Koochoolo, a long-time favorite of mine. I wonder what has inspired her to play Persian music? Does she love an Iranian man? When I loved an Iranian man, I moved mountains for him! It's beautiful music, delivered beautifully. Enjoy!

Just a quick note to say that I will be going to a peace demonstration in San Francisco (at the San Francisco Civic Center Plaza) later today with my younger son. The protest will be against Israeli attacks on Gaza. We will be joining the Iranian contingent which has been organized by my friend Enayat. If you live in this area, join us. The Iranian contingent will meet on the corner of Grove and Larkin, in front of San Francisco Public Library, at 11:00 a.m.

I hope you have a beautiful Saturday, full of love and peace. Please don't forget to pray for world peace, too. I promise to write a proper post when I return later today. I miss writing here!

Kiosk in San Francisco

Camera time! I went to see Kiosk perform in San Francisco last Friday night. My friends had come along, too, making it a very special occasion to be in the company of great music and friendship. His Majesty was there. Bayramali was there, too. Poor Leva had been so sick, but she and Vahid had somehow managed to come. Beautiful people! Ehsan was there, too, but no Maryam (boo hoo hoo, I miss her!).

Kiosk are taking their new Album, Global Zoo, Bagh-e-Vahsh-e-Jahani, on the road. It's a great album you guys! I got my CD! We had a treat, because the great young Iranian composer and guitarist, Babak Amini was at the concert. Superb!

I went with Omid. He is finishing his last year of graduate studies at Berkeley's School of Journalism.

I ran into so many of my good friends. This is Avideh Zahedi. She is a sculpture artist. She is also a very sweet and funny woman.

I also ran into Maryam and Ali, who were exuberant and joyful as usual. A great young couple.

Hadi had brought his brother Javad, and I got a chance to see sweet Jeerjeerak and Babak, my wonderful blogger friends. Too bad we couldn't see each other more. Left to right, Ehsan, Hadi, Babak, Leila, and Javad.

Out on the patio, were my other friends Lale Welsh, Babak Khiavchi of Kiosk, and Bruce Bahmani. Bruce said his new Rostam comic book is coming out soon. Great!

I tried to get a picture of Leva which she would let me use. It's hard, you know! She is sooo picky!

Kiosk sang their hearts out for us. It was really wonderful. When the song Jaddeh-ye-Khoshbakhti was up, Arash dedicated it to Luna (Shad), the love of his life. That was so sweet you guys. Look at this short clip of one of their new songs.

Kiosk in San Francisco

Deutsche Welle has prepared a report of Kiosk's performance in Bonn during their recent tour. I know several members of the band and a couple of them are my friends. But that's not why I love listening to these guys! I love their music. I'm going to see Kiosk in San Francisco this Friday night. They will be performing in other cities, too. Here's the tour program information, in case you want to catch one of their shows. They are fabulous.

On a less fabulous note, some things have been happening around me which are bugging me. I can't talk about them yet and I don't want to pretend to anything, so I cut this post short and go to bed. I'll come back and write a better post when I'm in a better mood. Yes, I'm having a very human moment! Be good y'all.

Fun with The Funnies!

It was a whirlwind of a weekend, full of activities and events, wonderful artists, people and friends. For those of you who missed these events, I would like to share three separate reports about what's been happening in my vicinity. On Friday night, as a part of Beyond Persia's Fall for Iran week, Iranian American stand-up comics came to San Francisco to perform. I was sitting next to His Majesty, Mehran, who was a perfect companion and a gentleman (he walked me from and to my car, now you know how important that is!). We laughed so hard listening to these brilliant young performers. Picture above shows comedian Max Amini in the middle of Lale Welsh and Bruce Bahmani, founders of Beyond Persia.

This good-looking guy is K-Von, who has an American mother and an Iranian father. He was fabulous!

Max Amini, 100% Persian, and K-Von posed for me. These two and Elham Jazab had me in stiches for an hour! When they come to a venue near you, don't miss the chance to listen to them talk about their Iranian families. K-Von told me after the show that when he had "volunteered" to appear on a cooking show, he had no idea how to make zereshk polo, and when he called his Ammeh Shirin, she told him to put "one finger of water over the rice," and he was confused about whose finger size his aunt was talking about! When you watch his video clip you will see that she taught him well! And here's a clip of one of Max Amini's shows.

There was also an art gallery during the week-long event. These are Amir Salamat's paintings, and the man in the middle is ghebleh-ye alam, Ala Hazrat Hajiagha himself!

And here he is posing with Queen Lale. Mehran is a volunteer with many Beyond Persia events. My friends Mehran, Jahanshah, and Enayat posing with funny girl Elham Jazab. She is sooo funny you guys! She did a skit about Iranians and sex. It was hillarious! Watch her in an interview.

Bay Area Events

I promised to write about what's happening in our area. Here are the things I know about. I will try and attend as many of them as I can.

Thursday October 2, 2008 & Friday, October 3, 2008, 6pm-10pm, Beyond Persia's art gallery, featuring artists Amir Salamat, Ahmad Shafai, Shiva Pakdel, and Lila Salamat; Free Admission, Theater Artaud, San Francisco; for more information contact (415) 626-4370.

Thursday, October 2, 2008; Beyond Persia in collaboration with Noor Film Festival present screenings of Iranian films at San Francisco's Theater Artaud; at 4:30 p.m., "The Fighting Cholitas" (20 mins.)"Grenade (10 mins.)"Generation Tehran" (24 mins.); 6:00 PM *Curated by Beyond Persia, "Beyond Words" (50 mins.); 7:30, Bam 6.6" (54 mins.)* Winner Noor Film Festival 2008; 9:00, "Rebirth of Rostam" (50 mins. Animation); Theater Artaud, San Francisco; for more information contact (415) 626-4370.

Friday, October 3, 2008 at 8:00 p.m.; Beyond Persia standup comedy, The Sharp Edge of Iranian Comedy, featuring K-Von, Elham Jazzab, and Max Amini (of Axis of Evil); Theater Artaud, San Francisco; Admission: $45, Students $25, includes Post-Show DJ Dance Party, for more information contact (415) 626-4370.

Friday, October 3, 2008, at 8:00 p.m., and Saturday &Sunday, October 4-5, 2008 at 9:00 p.m., Very funny Iranian standup comedian,Tissa Hami, performs at the Weekend Comedy Marathon in San Francisco, "5 Funny Females, 5 Funny Fags and 5 Funny Friends Live @ Purple Onion;" 140 Colombus Aveue, San Francisco; for more information Phone: (415) 956-1653, Email: reservations@5funnyfemales.com.

Friday, October 3, 2008, 6:00-8:00 p.m., Mahmoud and Christina Moghaddam Program in Iranian Studies of Stanford University presents: "Persian Poetry, Persian Music, the Aesthetic Synergy" with Mohsen Namjoo, Cubberley Auditorium, Stanford University, Palo Alto.

Saturday, October 4, 2008, 8:00 p.m., Special Mohsen Namjoo Farewell Concert with guest musicians Arash Sobhani & Ardalan Payvar of KIOSK; 8p.m., includes VIP Dinner, Admission $100; Theater Artaud, San Francisco; for inclusion email namjoo@beyondpersia.org.

Sunday, October 5, 2008, 7:30 p.m., Persian Center sponsored event: Mystic World Music & Z Venue proudly presents: "The Rumi Songs & Peace Concert", the magical world of Rumi will open up to San Franicsco for one night, through the rhythms, voices, & dance (whirling dervish dancers) of the Shams Ensemble from Tehran (led by Kaykhosro Pournazeri); San Francisco's Herbst's Theater, 401 Van Ness, Tickets from $25 to $75 available at City Box Office 415-392-4400, http://www.cityboxoffice.com/.

Wednesday, October 8th, 2008, Hamid & Christina Moghadam Program in Iranian Studies of Stanford University presents: "Ayatollah Khomeini's theory of government: genesis and evolution" with Professor Arash Naraghi, Pigott Hall, Building 260, Room 113, Stanford University, Palo Alto.

Sunday, October 19, 2008, 4-7 p.m., Lecture by Ahmad Batebi, UC Berkeley, 145 Dwinell Hall, for information call (510) 499-6966.

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.

Simple and Beautiful

Radif Ensemble performs Persian traditional music at Queen Elizabeth Hall. Amazing Daf solo by Ali Nourbakhsh.

On Friday night my friend and I participated in a political fundraiser for the re-election of Ross Mirkarimi to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. He is a second generation Iranian who has been extremely active in the Iranian community in the San Francisco Bay Area, fostering promotion of Iranian culture, arts, and social issues in these parts. He is also a very nice guy. Friday's fundraiser was an exciting event, especially when I visited briefly with Ala Hazrat, Bayramali and Reza! Yesterday my friend took me to meet another fabulous second generation young Iranian, Schauleh Sahba, who is making a short film advocating "No War on Iran." What a delightful young woman and what a sweet project. I will share more details about her important project later.

After all that excitement, this was a quiet and beautiful Sunday, spent mostly in the company of my older son. He helped me tidy up and clean the house, while all the time we were having philosophical discussions! We talked about love, relationships and many different things. We fought a little, too, which is to be expected. Now my house is tidy and clean and my thoughts and soul are sorted out! The three of us had dinner together. That's my life tonight, simple and beautiful. Have a good week you all.

Farewell San Diego!

San Diego skyline just past sunset, looking towards Tijuana on the Mexican border, Sunday, May 4, 2008.

And so, my trip is over and I am returning home this morning, going directly to work after my plane lands. It's been a great weekend, thanks to Mersedeh's hospitality. Talking the night away with friends, I didn't get any sleep last night, much like the night before! I'll come back and write a proper post tonight if I can keep awake!

Those of you who live in these parts should know about an event which will take place tomorrow night. Reese Erlich and Norman Solomon, two reputable American journalists and authors, will be speaking at Mt. Diablo Peace and Justice Center, 55 Eckley Lane, Walnut Creek, CA 94596 at 7:00 p.m. The topic will be "The Elections, Iraq and Iran: How the Major Media Distort the News and What You Can Do About It." (For more information, call Mary Alice O'Connor (925) 933-7850).

If you still have your calendars handy, please also note that Ostad Mohammad Reza Shajarian and Ava Ensemble will perform at Cupertino's Flint Center next Saturday, May 10th, 2008. Tickets at ticketmaster.com, Flint Center Information: (510)885-8200.

Have a good Monday you all!

Slowing Down, Maybe

Interviewing Loris Tjeknavorian, Sunday March 9, 2008 in Berkeley. Photo by Jahanshah Javid.

My body has decided to put the emergency breaks on me! I woke up in the middle of night with a colitis attack and will now have to slow down my breakneck speed. I'm O.K., but will have to keep a slower pace for a while. This would be somewhat hard to accomplish, because of several writing pieces I have in different stages of development, Nowrooz just around the corner, my dear guests arriving soon, and getting ready for hosting my friends for a dinner party soon. We'll see.

I will write excerpts from Simin Behbahani's beautiful speech here. The woman is so wise and so brave, and of course a priceless poet. Let me know if you want to see more, and I will write more of her moving speech here.

"I am but a poet, one among the many; undoubtedly, a small fish, in the ocean that is the world. By profession, I have been a teacher; and I well know there are teachers and philosophers in this world much, much worthier than I in their wisdom and knowledge to offer any advice.

But my heart tells me, you, too, must say something. Let them laugh at you, let them call you mad, or even try to kill you. Nothing is left wanting your life to wory about it so much. So, I declare: the world is a wreck; the Middle East the greatest wreck; and religion the excuse for creating this wreck."

From Simin Behbahani's acceptance speech at Stanford's Bita Award Ceremony, March 11, 2008.

If I feel better tomorrow, I will go to see Mehrjui's Santuri in Berkeley and will tell you about it (Thursday, March 13th at 5, 7, & 9 p.m. at Oaks Theater, 1875 Solano Ave, Berkeley). Have a good Thursday you all.

Simin Behbahani's Night

My friend and I went to Stanford tonight to attend an award ceremony, honoring Iranian poet, Simin Behbahani. The event was co-hosted by Dr. Abbas Milani of Stanford's Iranian Studies and Bita Daryabari (formerly Kordestani), whose "Bita Prize for Literature and Freedom" went to Ms. Behbahani. I hope you don't think I'm showing off! But I thought you might appreciate seeing the pictures of very interesting and famous people in attendance. I am exhausted now, so I'll write a better post tomorrow. Goodnight.

Hadi Khorsandi, poet, satirist, and comedian. Shahrnush Parsipoor, author. Dr. Abbas Milani, scholar and author. Simin Behbahani, poet. Simin Behbahani with Ostad Zolfonoon, master Tar player and composer.

Maestro Loris Tjeknavorian, composer and wold music conductor.

Memories of Stores

Taleghan Dam, last Friday, February 29, 2008. Photo by Universal Farshad. Take a look at the breathtaking reflection of those mountains in the half-frozen water. Thank you, Uni-Far.

I ended an exhausting day at the office and rushed to have dinner with two of my sisters. It was a really wonderful time, spent chit chatting and catching up on each other's doings. My sister will leave again on Saturday, and this was my last chance to see her on this trip. The three of us walked into Macy's after dinner and I was reminded of all the years we were poor and broke as students, when our favorite pastime was walking around in shopping malls, never being able to afford buying anything! Perhaps now I can afford to buy things, but I find that I like shopping less and less, only succumbing to the activity when I absolutely need something. Just the same, it was sweet to walk down the empty giant store, talking and laughing. I said goodbye to my lovely sister who is getting ready to go hold the twins in Paris for Nowrooz.

I am going to SFSU Iranian Culture Club's Nowrooz party tomorrow night, organized and managed by His Majesty, Ala Hazrat Haj Agha, and then on to celebrate his birthday with our other friends. Something rare and fabulous is also happening tomorrow night: my kids and their friends are also going to the event with me! Well, they aren't really going with me, but they'll be at the same place as me! I gave up trying to go anywhere with them a long time ago, realizing that as they age, it is less acceptable for them to be hanging out with their mother in public! Hee Hee, I just remembered a memory!

When my older son was 15 or 16, one afternoon he and I went to Super Jordan to shop. I had a small cart which was filling up quickly with the things I was throwing in it, and my son was pushing the cart down the narrow isle. At one point I went to get some milk and when I came back, there was a bottle of Delester, the popular non-alcoholic Iranian beer, in my cart. I thought someone had put it in there by mistake. So, I picked it up and looked around to see who was shopping in my vicinity. At this time, my son said to me: "That's mine!" I looked at him with surprise and asked him: "Really? You like Delester? That's interesting! Why did you take just one? Get some more!" In the time it took me to say those words with joy, I noticed that my son had disappeared! I looked around and he was nowhere to be found. I paid and took the things to the car, scanning the street, but I couldn't see my son. What happened to him? When I got home he was there, but looking sullen and quiet. I asked him what had happened to him and he said that I had embarrassed him by getting so excited over the Delester business, and he had decided to leave! I guess I might have gotten a bit loud with the joy of discovering something about his changing taste, and this had embarrassed him! I decided then that whenever in public with my children, I will act "cool" and "detached," because it will be a number of years before hanging out with the older woman who loves them and oooh's and aaaah's over them becomes something welcome and acceptable. These are the years I must be keeping my public distance from them, and I do it willingly. They know and I know, that the unfazed demeanor and the quiet lips of their mother have left all the work of loving and expressing affection for them to her eyes which scan the room to see them and guide her heart to get filled with pride and love, while all the time looking oh-so-cool and indifferent.

Happy Friday everybody. I'll write my Friday post late tomorrow night and reply to your kind comments then. Be good y'all.

Hamed Nikpay

My good friend, Hamed Nikpay, a talented young Iranian composer, instrumentalist, and singer will be appearing at the 1st Winter "Solh" Fest on Friday, December 6th, 2007 at 7:00 p.m. at San Francisco's Palace of Fine Arts. The event also features the Kiosk band as well as a new singer named Arjang Rad. For more information about the event, visit Beyond Persia's website. Many of you remember the pieces I have written about Hamed, as well as the interview I did with him for San Diego Persian Cultural Center's Peyk, in Farsi (Page 17), and in English (Page 17).

Hamed is one of the first Iranian artists to embrace World (or fusion) music. You can listen to samples of his songs on his website, or here and here. Listening to Hamed's music is divine, but knowing him and his beautiful heart and soul is a true privilege and pleasure. Seeing him on a stage is a treat you shouldn't miss if you live in these parts. He usually plays several instruments and his sweet and well-trained voice fills you with memories of our beautiful Iran.

And Words Flow Again...

The Twins.

I am glad to report that my "writer's block" has been cured for now. For several weeks, other than my blog, I was unable to sit down and write some self-imposed assignments I had been contemplating. Finally, I managed to get one of them out of the way today. This wasn't as easy as it sounds. Even when I can write about some personal feelings, it is so easy for me to dislike the final product and to push "delete" on it, a common occurrence of late. I am cured and it feels good! I had to lend my car to my son today, and without a car, all I could do on a Sunday was to work around the house and think and write. I think I will try this method the next time I become incapable of writing again! I am leaving for a two-day work-related trip tomorrow morning. I will write a post tomorrow night if I can manage it. Otherwise, I'll be back on Tuesday night. Be good y'all.

If you live in these parts, make note of the following events:

1. There will be a free film screening of Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis on Thursday, November 29th, at 7:30pm at UA Berkeley 7, 2274 Shattuck Avenue. The movie is in French with English subtitles. For your free ticket, call Persian Center at 510-848-0264 or email info@PersianCenter.org. Note: Admission is by ticket only.

2. Stanford's Hamid & Christina Moghadam Program in Iranian Studies presents "An Evening with Forough" (Farrokhzad) with Professor Farzaneh Milani, Director, Claus Strigel and Mr. Hossein Mansouri. Event includes viewing of documentary: The House Is Black (on her life), Monday, Nov 26th, 5:30-9:00 pm , Cubberley Auditorium, Stanford University. RSVP to iranianstudies@stanford.edu by November 23rd.

P.S. Yes, they are related to me.