Hard Tuesday

Loris Tjeknavorian conducts The Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra and Shahram Nazeri, performing a Kurdish song in Tehran in 2006. Simply lovely!

Farshad says it's raining in Tehran. I remember the soft spring rains of Tehran so well. The rain that spreads the sweet smell of wet dirt in the air and washes the pollution, delivering a spotless, shiny city back to all those who keep forgetting what a breathtakingly beautiful city Tehran is, surrounded by all those gorgeous mountains to the north, the south, the east, and west. I miss Tehran so much today. Our weather was sunny today, but I'm so cold all the time these days. I swear if I could, I would take my blue blanket to work and wrap it around me and sit behind my desk, just as I'm doing all around the house these days!

Someone around me is suffering from a breakup. It's so hard to watch him suffer, unable to do much to help. 'Happened difficulties' are the order of the day! And it's painful even to watch the thin face, the pained eyes, and the requisite sad and quiet solitude of an ended relationship in which a person must wallow and think and heal and eventually recover. I have been there and I know better than to try. True, you can take the person out to dinner or a movie for a few hours or try and engage him in a discussion about politics or arts, but soon he will have to go back to the cocoon of sadness which is built almost overnight around a broken heart. Delam misoozeh barash. I'm useless, though.

And as though I don't have enough challenges facing my present these day, I have been visited by my past again this week. It's been an unwelcome surprise. Yes, I know what to do and what to say, but it's hard just the same. I wished the past would stay exactly where it belongs, in the past. If you are having a good week, please tell me about it. My kids are telling me good stories about their work and school, too, which is really a blessing. I think some days everyone can stand to be infused with the hope that only others can give.

Tree of Life

Shahram Nazeri at artists' visit with Khatami, Tehran, December 2008.

Hello, Hello! I'm alive! Thank you all for your good wishes and kind comments. I think my body is fighting some vicious virus and leaves me so tired and depleted. I am fine and back to my usual mischievious ways! If you promise not to laugh at me, I should also tell you that this morning when I woke up at 5:30 to get ready to go to work, in the pitch black darkness, just as I was realizing that I'm not fit to go into work, I ran into the folding cabinet door around the washing machine in the hallway, and cut and bruised my lip, looking a swollen and crooked sight throughout the day! Ha Ha, it was a stupid accident which sent me right back to bed! I intermittently smiled at the bruise all day, except that it hurts a bit if I try to smile my big smiles!

I should tell you that my music review was published. I reviewed Shahram and Hafez Nazeri's new Album, Passion of Rumi. It is a beautiful piece of music and you can go here to listen to samples of that music. Listen to the track called "The Passion of Rumi," and you will see why I liked this music so much. You can also read my humble review here. I would like to hear your opinions about the music and my review if you find it of interest to you.

Being sick and staying home, I had time to think a bit today. My life continues to be affected by the new acquaintances and friendships I have been forming over the past few weeks. I am learning new things about myself and about life, and this continues to have elements of surprise and pain at times. I was thinking today that for all its ups and downs, I wouldn't have changed my life for any other, and if I had been given another chance to live, I would have made those same decisions as I did, to make sure that I would get the same life, with joys as only I have known and pains as only I have suffered, growing roots and branches and leaves exactly where I have them on my tree. I love my tree of life.