Part 2: Tehran Visits The Louvre

Abbas Kiarostami, (Iran 1940-2016)

Art bridges cultures and makes us see differently (that's why the first of my novels-in-progress is titled, "Flamenco & the Sitting Cat")  -- look again at these art photos by Abbas Kiarostami, a noted Iranian film producer/director/screenwriter, poet, and photographer. In his photos, Kiarostami examines the relationship between art and visitors. He shot them at the… Continue reading Part 2: Tehran Visits The Louvre

Part 1: The Louvre visits Tehran

Wedding of Greek deities: Thetis and Peleus (Italy 50BC - 50AD)

Art bridges cultures... Art museums often lend each other masterpieces. This year, however, marked a first -- a large-scale show by a major Western museum in Iran! The world's largest museum, the Louvre, proudly calls it, “…an outstanding cultural and diplomatic event for both countries.” The Louvre contributed fifty masterpieces for "The Louvre at Tehran" to celebrate… Continue reading Part 1: The Louvre visits Tehran

1. Ever been told…?

Photo of da-AL in Spain with caption: Ever been told 'you write like a man' supposedly as a compliment?

Ever been told 'you write like a man' as if you're supposed to take it as a compliment?

A Little Bit of Something that I Love: Postcards and Handwritten Letters by Nadya Irsalina

Photo of postcards

Photo of fronts of postcards

Getting letters and postcards in the mail is a joy! When I was a kid, I even loved getting junk mail! Years ago, a friend told me that only handwritten could suffice for thank you notes, never email. I try to follow her advice as often as I can.

How about you? Do you write and/or receive handwritten mail?

Fellow blogger Nadya Irsalina inspires me to take it to a new level…

Nadya Irsalina's avatarNadya's Journal

I’ve always been interested to send letters since I was a kid. The curiousity grew from seeing rubik sabahat pena (penpals) on Bobo, a kid’s magazine that my mother bought for me. But I had to wait until I was in junior high school to actually start sending letters. I don’t know about you but finding a new letter on the mailbox is like a nice little surprise for me. Nothing beats the thrill of opening the mailbox and finding a letter, written and addressed just for me. I still remember when my dad’s friend sent a postcard from LA and I was so excited to read it and removed the stamp. I used to collect it, even though I wasn’t really a philately. To me, it’s quite saddening that years after that, letters carried by conventional postal service seemed to be left behind and replaced with modern technology like…

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Beautiful Barcelona, Spain by da-AL

da-AL at the Basilica of the Sagrada Familia

This is the first of several posts on my a-w-e-s-o-m-e vacation to Spain and France. It's no wonder that my upcoming novel is called, "Flamenco & the Sitting Cat"! Barcelona is wonderful off-season. In October, the weather was mild and the densely populated ancient city offered my husband and me a great start to a Spain/France… Continue reading Beautiful Barcelona, Spain by da-AL