The right mix

The story itself is a marathon runner, for the most part it’s slow, preserving energy for later, every now and again it bursts out to gain speed and then it slows down and then towards the end, it goes full out but still for the most part, the runner is slow. If you didn’t get that metaphor, then here’s the translation: Basically, the story is slow, with outburst of action every now and again and then a climatic ending. I don’t know why, maybe it’s because Rowling wanted to stretch it out because she didn’t want it to end, or maybe it was for extra suspense but it simply went on for way too long. There were points in the middle and a 1/3 of the way in where I really just wanted to put the book down as it was boring me to sleep. There were moments where the action spiked up and those were quite invigorating at the time in contrast to the dull block of text.>>>

LET ME...know you azizam

Conquering Kamran was my all consuming desire. He asked whether I had a YAHOO id and soon we were sending IMs for eight hours or more at a time. We discussed life and the difficulties we had been through in life in general but also in our love lives. He also spoke about his upcoming book and how I would love the stories. It felt wonderful for a man to understand what I was talking about and it was easy to connect with him because we had both felt intense thoughts and emotions throughout our lives. This went on for so many hours and soon afterward he called me simply to hear my voice. He said, “I need to hear that sexy voice.” I responded, “How could you possibly know my voice was sexy.” He said, “Because I get so excited every time you IM me.” I was shocked and turned on.

 

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یک تکه رخت زنانه

و ... ناگهان در میان تکه های به جا مانده
دستم به تکه رخت زنانه ای می خورد
که رنگی صورتی دارد
پته ی رویی اش توری است
و بندی نازک آن را
به پته ی پشتی پیوند می دهد
انگشت هایم را به نرمی روی این برگ انجیر می سایم
و می خواهم تمام شیره ی شیرین آن را بیرون بکشم
(English) >>>

Ode to mid-summer

Waking to the sound of cicadas
Wrapped in the sweaty tulle of mid-summer
Every movement lingers: becomes sensual
The mind in a haze refuses to think: goes on strike >>>

The flux

What is happiness?
It is something
I hardly notice
Even when I am
Completely at ease >>>

Ahead

Our dark mahogany radio
like Karen Carpenter's,
often sang sad songs
in a foreign tongue.
>>>

غروب آبیدر

در دورانی که دانشجو بودم و به لطف معلم همشهری ام با او آشنا شدم. اوایل بهار 1377 بود . انسانی را دیدم شیک پوش و مودب و انگیزه دار.... جدای از مساله ایدئولوژی و تفکر سیاسی اش که شاید با ان سخت مخالف بودم و غوغای جوانی در سرم بود و او هم تبسمی می کرد که انگار می دانست روزی این باد و همهه و نشاط و ساده باوری و زود خیزی فرو خواهد نشست و بنا به تجربه اش اجازه کسب آزمون و خطا به من داد تا خود هم بسنجم . اما آن روز معنی آن حرف را نمی دانستم !>>>

Caught up in the mortgage mess

Lately, one cannot log on to the internet, turn on the television or open up the newspaper (people still read newspapers, don't they?) without being inundated with some kind of news, invariably bad, concerning the housing market, mortgage defaults and so on. It also seems that while the news entities focus on all of the losses, cable TV channels like TLC and Bravo are showing investors and speculators making healthy profits in less time than it takes to solve the latest crime on the newest CBS spinoff, CSI: Rasht. >>>

Backwards will always be backwards

Recently questioned whether the recent stoning of one person is backwards, when compared with the apparent progress made by the IRI since 1979. Yes, Dariush. It is by definition, backward. This is 2007 A.D., not 2007, B.C. Anyone who thinks this is acceptable in any society must be stoned (as in high) themselves. But let's not stop there. Let's address the rest, shall we?>>>

Interfering with play

One Sunday, I had the distinct hal-geery to attend a benefit screening of "Offside", the controversial and noted film by now-famed Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi (The White Balloon; The Circle, Crimson Gold). As advertised, the film is about 5 young women who try to sneak into the Azadi (Formerly Aryamehr) Stadium to watch the famous match between Iran and Bahrain that led to Iran qualifying for the 2006 World Cup. Resulting in a dismal first round elimination of Iran on the World Stage of Soccer, subsequently, summarily, forthwith, tout suite.>>>

Scott Baio is 45 and single

One of the many things you don’t know about me is this: Scott Baio was my first celebrity crush. Sure I have a very sophisticated list of male celebrity crushes today: from Jon Stewart to George Clooney to my latest delicious acquisition Jon Hamm (he of the excellent Mad Men on AMC), my fantasy life is filled with funny, good looking, and more importantly, highly talented celebrities. But I have to admit, it all started from Scott Baio. I do have an excuse for this seeming lapse of taste in my life: I was a newly arrived immigrant from Iran and had left a small nurturing school in Tehran for the large jungle otherwise known as the Los Angeles County Public School system.>>>

Knight in shining armour

Fascism can only do the one thing: exterminate what it doesn't like. Be that in the name of racism, nationalism, communism or Islamism. Sometimes it's the turn of the Jews, sometimes imperialists, sometimes Armenians, sometimes so-called unbelievers (atheists, Christians, Baha'i, gays, lesbians, adherents of free love etc.). And the masses just stand, stare and remain silent. History always repeats itself: today the grotesque setting is Iran and a grotesque silence prevails in Germany and Europe.>>>

رویای ناممکن

در سالروز قتل دکتر شاپور بختیار، آخرین رییس دولت مشروطه ایران، برگردان های زیر ازانگلیسی از ترانه مشهور ((رویای ناممکن)) که بخش هایی از نمایش اپرای معروف ((مردی از لامانچا)) هستند، با یاد او، به همه جانباختگان و مبارزان داخل و بیرون از ایران که بیش از ٢٨سال است برای استقرار دموکراسی، حقوق بشرو جدایی دین از حکومت در ایرانی مستقل و مدرن تلاش می کنند، تقدیم می شود. >>>

Another step toward military confrontation

The unprecedented move by the United States to designate a branch of another sovereign nation's armed forces, in this case Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps as a "terrorist" organization [1], is only the latest episode of a menacing plan that has taken years to implement. Most commonly accepted definition for "terrorism" is "the unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, civilian population, or any segment thereof, in order to achieve specific political, social, or economic objectives".>>>