Ari Siletz

Anahid jon, not to disappoint you - the rest is about mermaids

I'll send you the long email right away.

Monda jan, seems whales have it made

Dear Monda, thanks for summary of e-mail.  Please send me the complete one. It will be great to know more about whales by the time we go whale watching.  Then we will know what to look for.

Anahid, just got this in an email

To Whom It May Concern:

Whales are always surrounded by friends (dolphins, sea-lions, curious
humans).  They have an active sex life; they get pregnant and have
adorable baby whales.  They have a wonderful time with dolphins
-stuffing themselves with shrimp and other delicacies of the sea.  They
play and swim in the oceans, seeing exotic places like Patagonia, the
Barents Sea and the coral reefs of Polynesia .. Whales are excellent
singers and have even recorded CDs.  They are incredible creatures and
virtually have no predators other than humans.  They are loved,
protected and admired by almost everyone in the world.

I'll send you the complete email later. 

Anahid jan,

It's so nice to see your enthusiasm! Let's wait to hear from Ari about the right time.

Monda & Ari, looks like whale watching trip is coming together

Dear Monda and Ari, it looks like the trip is going to happen. Thanks guys.

Sounds good Monda,

Aye here too... Ari, what do you think

about calling the IC Fundraiser Whale-Watching Social?  

We could serve rum and whiskey in small bottles to keep everyone warm. Also hot aash reshteh would go well with the scenery, right?

It's great to hear JJ loves whales too, maybe he'd get involved with the project :o) 

any weekend is good if...

the whales are there. 

Hmm

Well, many of you know how much I love whales. I have one tattooed on my arm! I'm all for it :)

Great Ari. Will a February weekend work for most of us?

Dear Ari, sounds fantastic.  Will you let us know what we need to do? I guess first step is to come up with a date that most of us can make it.  My preference is to do this in a weekend in February since chances are in March people are busy with NowRuz (I know I might be starting another mini debate about the spelling) activities.  Monda, Ari and other Bay area friends who are reading this, will a Feb. weekend work for you?

I vote aye.

Monda jan, your Whale watching fundraiser idea is great

Monda jan, I like your idea about whale watching fundraiser, what does Jahanshah say about this?

Very interesting Ari, thanks

This clarifies it. My lab is quite gorgeous to watch( at the moment it looks like an arts master dipping all the trees in confectioner's sugar and shaking it gently with glittering soft powder in every little branch and one side of the trunk!), but lacking a minimum of theoretical background prevents me from getting full benefit of it. Actually I thought that the geese are fighting for food or something when they ganged up against one, my nature oriented neighbor told me that it was a sexual ritual of male geese against the poor female.

Now, do you realize that you just provided a Dayee jan Napoleon grafted version of Darwinism for permanent prevention of rape, much to the detriment of male spicies? Just imagine! A world without rape or aggression, AND handsome guys all around dancing and singing wonderful songs and building gorgeous houses.

Come to think of it, the gays are ususally much better looking than straight men, and they have a superior taste in architecture and home decoration. Dilemma is, how to make them interested in females a bit more?!

Jaleho, its really rape

Don't know about female geese having semen blocks, but female ducks do. Why do drakes rape? One answer may be because they can (though I think this answer is unlikely). Most male birds don't have penises and have to dance, sing, wear fancy feathers, build elaborate nests, anything but play chess to get the female's consent. Ducks and geese on the other hand are among of the few birds that do have penises and so rape is possible. So female ducks have evolved oviduct anatomies that helps them regain control of paternity. You've got an interesting lab in your backyard.

Ari, I am completely confused now!

See, the first link you provided had this piece:

"Merginae (seaducks) and Oxyurinae (stiff-tailed ducks) are characterized by diving

underwater to obtain their food, while Anatinae (dabbling ducks) and Anserinae (swans and

geese) primarily feed at the water surface by “dabbling” their bills in the water or by upending

(tipping their bodies so that their head is underwater and their tail remains above water; see

photo) to reach deeper."

Then it has a photo of the bird upending and under it it writes: male mallard upends.

So, I thought I erroneously had assumed in the past that mallard is a duck. Now, you're telling me that mallard IS a duck and upending is not the same thing as diving, I thought it is the same thing. Sorry, it all got too technical for me. I also really thought that it is just the mating process when all those male geese attack the female one, I used the gand rape jokingly. Now, you're telling me that the female duck (or goose) has evolutionary devoloped to prevent fertilization in that kinda mating process?

Jaleho, photo hints

Gottman findings in friendships?

I'd say depending on friends' styles, settings, length of relationship, stage of friendship, and their friendship focus, i.e. their levels of comfort with affectionate expressions. 

Humor on the other hand, is always a serious gauge in any relationship from corporate to intimate :o) I don't need Gottman to research that one either.

The interesting thing to me is, and I asked Gottman this at his workshop, why didn't he call it the Friendship Research Institute rather than Marriage Institute (its old name)? His response was, friendships are not Binding whereas marriage is! He said, if people feel frustrated in a friendship they can distance from that friend and re-evaluate that relationship. Married couples often times can't afford to do that due to legalities, finances, children, etc. My conclusion back then in 1992: Marriage Can Kill Friendship. But i was already 6 months pregnant with my daughter and was on a mission to give her a dad.

Actually Ari, with some stories after reading I shut my eyes and imagine the characters' nuances.  It'd be interesting to experience Sepideh and Siavash invivo.  Hey if the more established psychologists in the house, Azadeh or Tafreshi, are not available, call me. Id' be happy to be there. 

My god issues don't belong here, maybe I'll go back to JJ's blog. 

Ari, beacuse I want attention jigaram,

The article you sent had so many names I got confused what name is a duck and which ones are goose. To begin with, I always thought mallard is a duck. And the picture of that pretty white butt that you provided, was exactly what I thought of as duck!

But really, did I contradict you? NO, or I didn't mean to. I just thought you'd find it interesting to know that I get to see these geese (many of them) in my yard doing all kinda funny things, including MAKING one female dive like that. Next spring, I'll get the camera to provide proof, if you promise you wouldn't become jealous.

Thanks Jaleho

Good one Ari, and that

Darvag poem moves every nerve in my body with its beauty. Thanks for bringing it back to me, long time i have not heard it.

My personal obsevation of goose and duck....although I have seen ducks upend with their pretty white butts in the air when they dive so cutely and comfortably, but the goose do it sometimes too! AND, when they gang rape a poor single female (or large number of male attack a poor single female for sex, I can't say how many actually get to enjoy her, maybe it is just one) they do dive and push the female down under water. That from my voyeuristic observation of them through my window, nothing scinetific ;-)

Monda

Sorry to hear you're blue with the flu. Hope you feel better soon.  Have a touch of it myself, and I've been doing my namaz roozeh religiously. So it can't be God, unless He's cranky with the flu Himself. He may have gotten it from Gabrielle who was visiting Earth lately.

Emotional reaction to JJ's love link? Maybe if you said more.  

Ari, John Gottman

At his Relationship Research Institute in Seattle can predict Siavash and Sepideh's stability as a couple, by watching only about 5 minutes of their interactions, in postures and facial nuances.  Shared sense of humor is on top of his list for positive values.  Partners' referring to each other in affectionate ways like azizam is another one.  So there's much hope for your characters. 

I still don't get your Love God link (on JJ's blog) and I'm having an emotional reaction to that in my gut.  I'm home with stomach flu. Maybe it's God's wrath? :o) 

anahid, you and I live near this nature too

but we don't know our birds from our non-birds!  it's Ari's style of being that knows how to integrate all natural and unnatural elements into some stimulating wonderful piece to remember. 

Nahang dar koozeh made my tear come down.  

Let's have an iranian.com Whale watching fundraiser, how's that?

Aman az dasteh bitchy couples!

Vah vah vah... Khoda naseeb nakoneh... :)))

Dear Ari, Many thanks for all great information in your comment

Dear Ari, that was real beautiful about whale being released from tiny water vessel into the ocean.  Many thanks also about letting me know about the Farallone Islands.  I hope to visit this Island and to be able to write poetry about it.  As far as Shomali writers using more wildlife imagery, it would make sense since there is so much magnificent scenery and so many different species in Gilan and Mazandaran. 

Anahid

For example, a few years back we spotted a humpback whale near the Golden Gate bridge during a scattering of ashes ceremony for a friend. When I was working on a brief bio of my friend as a memorial, I called the piece "Nahang dar koozeh." This friend's vast talents had been stifled in Iran; when he came to the US to become a super success it was as though a whale trapped in a tiny water vessel had been released into the ocean. 

Check out the Farallone Islands, a few miles by tourist boat off the SF Bay. Whales, sharks, dolphis, seabirds I am certain you would write verses about.

PS: Do our Gilani and Mazanderani poets use more wildlife imagery than our other poets? I really like Nima Yooshij's Daarvag.

 For the reader:

داروگ (frog)

خشک آمد کشتگاه ِ من
در جوار ِ کشت ِ همسايه .
گرچه می‌گويند : « می‌گريند روی ِ ساحل ِ نزديک
سوکواران در ميان ِ سوکواران . »
قاصد ِ روزان ِ ابری ، داروگ !  کی می‌رسد باران ؟

بر بساطی که بساطی نيست ،
در درون ِ کومه‌ی ِ تاريک ِ من که ذرّه‌ای با آن نشاطی نيست
و جدار ِ دنده‌های ِ نی به ديوار ِ اتاقم دارد از خشکيش می‌ترکد
- چون دل ِ ياران که در هجران ِ ياران –
قاصد ِ روزان ِ ابری ، داروگ ! کی می‌رسد باران ؟

Dear Ari, you are so good with knowing behavior of ducks and..

Dear Ari, I am impressed with your last comment.  You seem to know a lot about animals.  I am so bad with animals, flowers, all nature.  The best I can do is to write poetry about "Baran sabok" and "baran sangeen".  I need to learn more about nature.  Additionally, you know about music too.  By the way, we missed you yesterday.

Divaneh

To me, the behavior and description of the birds suggests Sepideh is right to think they are ducks. Male geese don't look that much prettier than the females (duck males do), and geese typically don't dive (ducks do).

Funny dialogue

It always takes two to tango, but if you ask me Siavash pestering her too much (Zeeyadi geer meede). Thanks for the entertaining piece.

Thanks folks, always a pleasure.

سنگ هاون، نیش سوزن، گر سزاوارت نیست هرچه او گفت تو مگو