Lust, Devotion, & the Binary Code by Kamin Mohammadi

Lust, Devotion, & the Binary Code by Kamin Mohammadi

A very informative and moving story about recent years in Iran.

Walking down the street as a lone woman in Tehran, it didn’t take long to have a man or two following me. Sometimes they would drive by in their cars, slowing down at the curb, calling out something suggestive, but they were not too persistent when I kept my eyes glued to the ground and ignored them.

Sounds similar to Manhattan every time I have been there. Yes, they are more persistent in Manhattan.

My lover was proficient at dating the Islamic Republic way, with stealth and planning. He was expert at using the time available, living in the moment. He, who for years I had suspected to be innocent, turned out to be an accomplished hunter. Trysts he knew how to handle, relationships he had less experience with. Most girls were willing to sleep with you, he said, but they also all immediately talked of marriage, mostly because there was no other viable option for seeing someone long term, and the rules of society, which valued a woman’s respectability above all else, demanded it. In small towns like his, where everyone knows everyone, it was hard to conduct an illicit relationship for long without attracting some attention, and anyway, as he once explained to me, the subterfuge went so deep that it even involved lying to the self, making it impossible to continue an affair for too long. He said to me once: “Haven’t you worked it out yet? This is Iran. Everyone here is acting in a film. Everything is changing, particularly for women who are no longer fitting their traditional roles but society hasn’t caught up, so they just do what they want and pretend they are doing something else all the while to make it palatable. They even lie to themselves. No one can deal with the grim reality, and they prefer the film anyway. There are seventy million people in this country, and they are all giving Oscar winning performances.”

The closest to that I have experienced is working places that had strict fraternization policies.

Read the whole thing. It is tragic and pretty and ends with a sad whimper.

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Dating break and other random thoughts

My GOD, this remodeling crap seems that it will never end.  Kinda puts a dent in the dating scene too.

Bringing a lady home to a wall-to-wall disaster frequently spoils the romance.  Have been with a few in the past who did not have a problem with messes.  One would frequently say "I didn't care if your place was a mess as long as I could find you."  Might be one reason why she was the longest non-marriage relationship I ever had too.

So, as I settled in to pretty much avoid a bunch of badly overdue tasks and oversee the destruction crew removing drywall from the bedroom half of my condo, my best friend Danielle gives me a call.  Her husband, Dennis, had another seizure at his job site in DC.  The only help I got to give was Googling up the hospital for Danielle.

She just called, Dennis is okay now.  I am not sure if it is bad or good that when I am feeling depressed and I am reminded that there are people in much worse shape than me, I stop feeling so bad about myself.  But then I feel bad that I can't help them like I wished I could.

Danielle was a big help on the latest dating mistake, so I don't need to vent about it here :)  But she did invite me to the hospital to pickup chicks.  Not a bad idea, but I think I need a few weeks off from that.

Just emailed the office to tell them I am stuck here all day and at least tomorrow morning.

Should be getting some book feedback from a bartender buddy today, I hope.  He was off yesterday and only bar tends two days per week.  He is one of the people I renamed a background character for (Big D at the brat bar) and will have a bigger role in the next book.

Back to resume editing, job hunting and the pile of bills that are still backed up from the January condo mess, while surrounded by said mess.