h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

about a week ago, i called the electrician to remove the extra phone line from my flat to downstairs "because i'm moving upstairs now"...
two hours later i tried to get online - "no phone signal"

it took two days to get my study ready, then i waited another 2 days for the student living with us to have some time to carry the pc upstairs and put it together, ended up doing it myself and let him just check out if the cables are correct, then i couldn't get online, changed the cable, waited another day for the electrician to come and fix the phone line in the study.

of course, during this week all phone numbers in tehran have changed to 8 digits, except the digital internet lines, which took me most of another day to find out because nobody had mentioned it to me

on the bright side, the flat is finished. FINALLY.

Reason to celebrate

housewarming party today! just 'asraneh, which means late afternoon munchies, bread and butter and cheese and herbs and stuff. but my dad said he would spring a bottle of whiskey wanna some?

Sounds good! Cheers to your newly remodeled abode, and wishes for much joy to reside there!
Am curious which herbs you serve with bread and cheese? Maybe basil?

Wanted to let you know I will be without a computer from July 30 until about August 29. My working vacation is in a place where I have no phone, etc..(I use pay phones to check on the "old folks at home.")The orchestra isn't great, so I don't have to practice much. Lots of time to bike, watch sunsets and read by the lake. Very relaxing, but I will miss my H2G2 friends.
Have a good month!

iranians eat fresh herbs with their food, probably to compensate for the fact that the traditional meals are usually overcooked and without nutritional value

i don't know all the english names, i even think some of them aren't known in europe, but what i can tell you is mint leaves, radishes (and their leaves), small onions (spring onions?), uh, damn - i forgot the english name of the most comon one.

bread, white cheese and herbs (or red melon, or grapes, or walnuts) are considered a traditional summer meal.

Hi Nim, on getting the apartment done!

You mentioned herbs ... there's a dried one I've had here with rice, sumac I think it's called -- a bit purplish looking? Is there another use for it besides rice; I really like the flavour.

SC

nope - sumac is only eaten with kebab to be precise - if rice is served with the kebab, people put it on the rice too. since in this situation the rice is usually eaten with the fat juice of the kebab, extra butter and egg yolk (yummy!), i think sumac is used to cut all the heavey fatty taste.

and the "more comon herb" was parsley
(headdesks again)

Since I love kebab, it's not surprising I've had sumac on rice! Parsley is an interesting herb. Here in the states, it gets used mostly as a garnish or as an accent color on a completed dish. In other country's cuisine, it is used for helping digestion or freshening breath, or...gasp...flavor!

SC

Radishes and onions - you mean a salad!

But kebabs and rice sound as well

*gets a plate* mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm I house/flat warmings!

smiley campaign A4521214

That does sound yummy! I use parsley in tabouleh.(That's one middle eastern dish that is fairly popular over here.) But since I have a huge bed of mint, I sometimes substitute the mint for the parsley.
See you in a month.

the housewarming party went fine, in that that the only person not being involved in a conversation at any time was bro, and after the guests left, the table looked as if a horde of mongols had raided it
i'm now busy with small personal stuff around the flat, last touches and so

*sigh* mom ended her vacation yesterday, and everytime i was downstair today she was working on something. what am i supposed to do with her?

I know this will sound a little crazy, but could you go with her to visit a relative or something, just so she will let herself be treated as a guest, as opposed to taking care of guests? I know that some women will even try to pitch in while visiting, but she really should be taking things easy for at least a week or so!

I recall you saying that she uses crutches, is there any way her doctor could order her to take it easy? (Doesn't sound like it would work, but might be worth a try! )

SC

no relatives here or even in germany
the one person i could have send her to has right now both hands full with 3 sick people.
we're planning to go to the caspian sea after schools start though, cooler then and less people. i hate it there, but i still can take along my laptop and reference books and work. if we can manage it to be just the two of us, it should be good

Hi,

Glad to hear you flat is up and running at last. congrats.

Adib

sorry i haven't been able to keep up with you adib, real life is a bit hectic right now have some and

Don't worry about keeping up with me latelys, we had a mini tornado is brum, and so have had no internet days as phonelines where down at second home that had my computer there. Phone lines ok now as they mended them in my area so I am back for good know. lol.

Adib

Hi Nim,

Just got back from my holiday - great news about your flat being ready at last. The flat-warming party sounded great.

Hope you manage to get that holiday just for you and your Mom - doesn't matter too much where really does it, as long as you both get a rest?

all holiday plans - and most other plans - have been put on hold. after 5 years of "i won't do it" mom suddenly decided she wants an artificial joint in her hip bones. the surgery will probably be within the next 2 weeks - the surgeon is very good but he works in a private hospital which does not accept the governmental insurance, so dad will have to raise about 5000USD for everything. we have a secondary insurance though, which *might* return some of the cost after the operation.

*sigh* at this rate, i won't finish my translation project before 2006. i do have the time, but i just can't concentrate on it.

Hi, I'm back!
Health insurance is a big headache -sometimes I'm almost glad I have none. I hope that other policy pays. Maybe if you are persistent...? Those hip replacements can be a very good thing. I hope she gets lots of benefit from it. It's too bad to delay your vacation, but I would think your mom will have more fun going somewhere if she can move around without pain. Maybe you could set some very small goals for your project, so you feel you are getting something done without adding too much stress?
While on my working vacation, my friend that once lived in Tehran (she takes the same working vacation I do) put her copy of Nafisi's "Reading Lolita in Tehran" in my hands and said that if I was corresponding with you I must read it. Had been wanting too anyway, and am now half way through. Do you know the book?

I heard about it, but i stopped reading iranian literature some years ago because it is mostly just too depressing.

Mom is going to the hospital on sunday and will have her operation on monday. my (personal)deadline for the translation is in 3 weeks, so I'm hurrying on translating the bibliography (and you will get a if you can gues what book or rather what author needs his ^*(&(*^&(%^&^% bibliographies translated instead of just copied - grrr!)

i hope to get the biblio to my cousin on thursday and get the rest of the edited chapters back so i can enter the corrections on the laptop while sitting in the hospital

falern (ex-h2g2 -researcher and co-worker)tried to get me involved in his projects a couple of days ago - i just yelled at him. my brain is so full of different stories right now that i don't dare to read something new

mom is already packing her bag - including coffe, coffe-mate , sweets, books, etc. etc. etc.