If you're a Persian guy you don't want to read this.
I don't get it. What is she trying to say? That men are bad in general? That Iranian guys are idiots? That she has a crush on her best friend, Pasha, who would not have her? That she's single and LOOKING?!
And why would you date a guy like that in the first place? And if she's into romance, sensitivity, and emotions, why does she sleep with a "disgusting, rude" guy?
Very typical of Iranian "feminists." (No offense to real feminists though)

Update: Here's a response to the article. at 10:09 AM by negar

Quiz
- I think you're beautiful...I'm so attracted to you...I have a crush on you...Let's run away...We can live in the mountains...Up in Colorado...Oh I hope I deserve you...You're so pure...By the way, I'm mentally unstable.
- Choose the best answer:
a) Aaaah, that explains it all.
b) Me too.
c) You're what? You bastard!
d) Oh?!
e) Of course. It's very obvious. A common case of...Ummm...By the way I'm your psychiatrist. at 8:47 AM by negar

Last night I had one of those annoying dreams...or maybe I should say nightmares. I was asked to write down my phone number on a piece of paper but I couldn't remember how to write 6. I knew it somehow resembled 9 but I just couldn't figure out how.
Today's lesson? Always carry your business cards with you, even in bed. at 10:00 PM by negar

Look Close


I was looking out the window, when I saw this guy. What is it called? at 4:28 PM by negar

Absurd Games
Four games to play when you and your guests are bored:
Humiliate the Host
Get the Guests
Hump the Hostess
Bringing up Baby

I don't know why I thought of this (Can you guess what I'm talking about?). It's probably because I'm being very absurd these days.

Update: Those games are from the Edward Albee's absurd play "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" which was made to a film with the same title. This update is to let Legofish know that he can't blame me if he gets in trouble for humping the hostess. at 12:29 AM by negar

Allergy season
Negar- [sneeze]
Stranger- Bless you!
Negar- Thanks!
(30 seconds later)
Negar- [sneeze]
Stranger- [smiling] Bless you!
Negar- Thank you!
(15 seconds later)
Negar- [sneeze]
Stranger- [smile]
Negar- [sneeze]
Stranger- [smile]
Negar- [sneeze]
Stranger- [stare]
Negar- [sneeze]
Stranger- [stare]
Negar- [sneeze]
Stranger- [frown]
Negar- [sneeze]
Stranger- Good God! Will you stop that or not?!
Negar- [sneeze] at 10:51 AM by negar

I'm a hazard to myself
Can't get this out of my head today:

Everyday I fight a war against the mirror
I can't take the person starin' back at me
I'm a hazard to myself

Don't let me get me
I'm my own worst enemy
It's bad when you annoy yourself
So irritating
Don't wanna be my friend no more
I wanna be somebody else
(Pink) at 12:38 AM by negar

I did something stupid. *
*This is the end of today's post. I know you don't expect me to tell the whole world what I did. at 9:21 AM by negar

Have you seen those super long lists of links in some weblogs? I counted one of them and it was well over 170 links. What's ridiculous is that at the very top it says "The weblogs I read: ". at 10:06 AM by negar

I'm back at school. Almost everything is the same except that everyone looks shorter. The girls I saw today hardly reached my shoulder and the guys were the same height as me. It seems like they all lost a few inches over spring break. It's either that or I'm walking too tall and proud. at 1:04 AM by negar

This morning I was in campus 10 minutes before my class starts but I didn't find a parking spot for the next 40 minutes. This campus has huge parking lots but for some reason they are always full. Anyhow, as I was waiting for a free space I read a few more pages of "We wish to inform you... ." Who's to be blamed for the killings of 1994? Rwanda or foreign powers? My assignment is to find facts for both sides of the arguement. So far, I have found evidence against France, Belgium, and United Nations. But since I don't like French in general*, I'll type up only this excerpt for now.
A military agreement signed in 1975 between France and Rwanda expressly forbade the involvement of French troops in Rwandan combat, combat training, or police operations. But President Mitterrand liked Habyarimana**, and Mitterrand's son Jean-Christophe, an arms dealer and sometime commissar of African affairs in the French Foreign Ministry, liked him, too. France funneled huge shipments of armaments to Rwanda-right through killings in 1994- and throughout the early 1990s.
* That has nothing to do with the new wave of anti French sentiment in US. I just don't like them because in European Nations Cup 2000 they beat Italy in the final game with a golden goal.
** The Hutu president of Rwanda during the genocide. He publicly supported the massacre of Tutsis.
at 11:21 AM by negar

On Norouz you're supposed to be happy, right? I wasn't. I was just tired. Tired of everything. Tired of life. Tired of years and springs coming and going. I woke up at 2 PM and found my face and pillow wet with tears. There are pains that never go away no matter it's Norouz or not. They are just there. Consuming your body and soul. Leaving you crying quietly into your pillow...
I don't think I can write anymore.
Wishing y'all a great Norouz. at 6:20 PM by negar

A not so typical day...
There's no point to this post. I acknowledge that so you don't have to leave a comment asking "what's the point?"

I woke up at 9:00 because I was supposed to meet someone at her house at 10:00. I took a quick shower and drove to the subdivision where she lives. As soon as I started reading the street names I realized that I could not remember where exactly she lived. And since everything should go wrong on this Tuesday morning, I don't have my cellphone to call her. I stop by a public phone and spend 50 cents to report my clumsiness to home and ask for the address. Eventually when I got there the lady had some company and I came home while trying to figure out what's wrong with me lately.
As soon as I arrived at home, I got a phone call from Mr. President (that's a true nickname). He had called for an emergency (Norouz) meeting and wanted me to be there ASAP. So we had a 1-2 hour long meeting in an office in the basement of some building. It felt like we were planning a coup or something! And we were. It was a coup against all my plans! Since I wasn't very enthusiastic about my plans, the date, the time, the location, and the style of our Norouz party were changed with no problem.
I thought we were done when one of the guys suggested that we should all go and take a look at the new location ( a banquet room in a hotel). Since I wanted to act like a responsible officer, I went with them. When we got there I just sat in the lobby and talked to a lady just to entertain her because she looked so bored. Then while I was watching CNN I gave a lengthy lecture on American history and politics to the rest of the gang.
I don't remember much from the moment I stepped out of the car with a bad headache to the moment that I was being shaken awake.
- Hey! Wake up! Don't you wanna go to Chaharshanbe Soori?
- Huh?! There's one?
- Yeah... [blah blah blah]
- Ok. Gettin' up.
A few minutes later I walk out of my room wearing an old pair of jeans and a T-shirt, thinking and saying "I'm ready." When others appear in front of the door I realize that I'm a little! underdressed so I run back to my room change my whole outfit and we're set to go.
It was quite an interesting Chaharshanbeh Soori. After 3-4 years living in US it was the first time I jumped over the fire. I hope it brings me luck or whatever it's supposed to bring to people. I also met a famous blogger. Guess who!
I have a habit of turning on the TV when I walk into the house. So I did the same last night and there was a weather alert for our area: a tornado is on its way! We sat in "the most interior hallway" of our place for almost an hour, holding flash lights and listening to radio. It reminded us of Iran-Iraq war and some started telling memories while I stared at the wall and gave small comments and feedbacks.
At 2:12 AM the warning was over. No tornado! Just 2 hours of scary thunderstorm.
But my night didn't end like that. I read quite a few pages of "We wish to inform you..." as my bedtime story. It's very soothing to read about actual mass murders just before you fall asleep. No, I'm serious! I had good dreams all night: the trees in our backyard had fruited and they were all limes and lemons.
at 11:06 PM by negar

We wish to inform you...
I'm reading a book called "We wish to inform you that tomorrow we will be killed with our families." It's a catching title, but isn't it too long? Anyhow...it's about a genocide I had never heard of. 1994: Rwanda*. The majority, Hutus, start killing the minority, Tutsis, simply to make the world a better place.
...At least eight hundred thousand people were killed in just a hundred days...The dead of Rwanda accumulated at nearly three times the rate of Jewish dead during the Holocaust. It was the most efficient mass killing since the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
It's a shame that I, as a citizen of the world, didn't know about such a recent genocide. Tsk, tsk.

* Rwanda is located between Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi, and Congo. at 1:06 AM by negar

I'm sick of Norouz. Yes, I know it's not Norouz yet but I'm already sick of it. I was all happy and stuff a few days ago but now that I think of it (norouz) I see nothing other than trouble. That'll give me a lesson not to become an officer again.

Update: Nah! I'm not sick of this beautiful thing. I'm actually very excited about it :) Don't you love the music?!!! (if you don't, keep it to yourself) at 7:44 PM by negar

Can't write. I really wanna write but I just can't. Anything I write sounds cheesy a minute later, when I proofread.
Perhaps I should stop.

P.S. If you're thinking why on the earth she'd ping hed weblog for the two lines above, I must say I'm just as surprised as you! at 12:39 AM by negar

Unnecessary Knowledge
I'm looking for a classy but not too expensive room where we can hold our Norouz party. I found quite a few rooms but apparently they don't post the price on the web. Not even a price range so you would know if it's worth it to call or drive to their place. Instead I found the exact price of something I wasn't looking for. Cemetery Lot! Adult space: $600. Now I know that I can't afford to die. at 12:17 PM by negar

9:00 AM - Room 326- Zachary Building
A few dozen of students walk into the classroom.
9:00 AM - Negar's room
Negar is asleep.

9:10 AM - Same classroom
The class starts.
9:10 AM - Negar's room
Negar is asleep.

9:50 AM - Same classroom
The Korean TA asks everyone to clear their desks and passes out the quizes.
9:50 AM - Negar's room
Negar is asleep.

10:00 AM - Same classroom
Everyone walks out.
10:00 AM - Negar's room
Negar is asleep.

Yeah...Monday mornings suck. at 12:23 AM by negar

I've had so much fun this weekend that I don't wanna ruin it by going back to school tomorrow morning. Do you think my profs will consider this as a good excuse?
at 2:00 AM by negar

embarrassing moments: 2
I and one of my guy friends went to find a water fountain last night. The one I knew of was removed so we went downstairs to find another one. He remembered about a conference room which was open and empty so we went in and got some water. When we walked out from the dark room, a bunch of guys were passing by (imagine that we are blushed and wet after that much dancing). They looked at us with a big grin. J was right! They probably thought we were making out in the dark, empty conference room. at 11:39 PM by negar

Happy!
We won! "The Outstanding Association in Cultural Display"! This is the first time that our young Persian Student Association is winning anything so we're very proud of ourselves. To celebrate this good news, last night I danced for three hours, nonstop. At 1:00 PM I could no longer walk on a straight line and I kept running into people and walls. I think everybody thought I was drunk or something because I kept clinging to strangers just to keep myself from falling on my face. Somehow that much dancing made perfect sense last night. But now I don't remember how! The only thing I know is that I can't walk like a normal person. But who cares?! I'm happy! at 11:27 PM by negar

I'm back. It feels like I haven't been writing for ages now. Since last Thursday night I've been constantly busy with International Week stuff. Since we're not performing at the Talent Show, our I-Week is over. This morning I woke up with a great sense of relief but then I remembered that we don't have much time till Norooz and we should have planned it long time ago. I don't wanna think about it right now and I won't.
Damn...the two girls sitting next to me are so loud that I can hear them through my headphones. They shouldn't allow the girls in the computer lab unless they are alone. Seriously. Great! Now I don't remember what I was gonna write... at 11:34 AM by negar

I wrote a big, long post last night. But for some reason my computer didn't like it so it went crazy and eventually froze when I hit the Post button. Then I got mad and turned off the whole thing.
I 'll write again as soon as this nightmare is over. I just wanted to thank y'all for your inspirations! I loved Nilgoon's guy and I'm wondering if he has a twin brother!!! Does he?!
at 10:12 PM by negar