it's later
well, t is trying to get organized for the wedding, so i've jumped on that train with her. i get to help with figuring out the invitations, which is turning out to be a lot more difficult than i ever imagined. if she had a kazillion dollars, she'd get full-on letterpressed ones done, but it just costs too much. so we are trying to find blank invitations with maybe a sweet letterpressed border or design on it, and then have them printed normally. either we suck at internet searches, or that kind of thing just doesn't exist, because we aren't finding anything.
it's shocking and disturbing how much tacky wedding stuff there is out there.
we did get started with the bridesmaids' dresses--mine will be the prototype. we went to the tailor with the beautiful thai raw silk that she bought, and it should be ready on monday. while we were at the fabric store, i caved in and bought this beautiful jamovar handworked silk that i have been eyeing since the day i got here, and am having that made into a dress, too. the fabric is raw silk with a ton of embroidery, divided into rectangles, each worked to look kinda like a persian rug. there is a lovely purple-ness to the whole thing, but the color varies from blues to greens to pinks. i love it! and the best thing is that the dress is being made just for me--there will be no other dress like it in the world. i got it 3/4 length, sleeveless, A-line, with a square neck (i think. i can't remember.) and a higher waist. ooh ooh ooh it is going to be so beautiful!
the other dress is a pinky-purpley color, a little shorter, with a different neck, and thinnish straps, but still A-line. it's going to be really nice, too.
what else? well, we were going to have chupli kebabs the other night, but on the way to the grill, we discovered that meat is rationed on tuesdays and wednesdays here, so we ended up having delicious chicken tikka with roti and yogurt at this great outdoor kebab place. hopefully, i'll get a chupli before i leave next week....
since the cook went back to his village for a week or so, we're on our own for food and i thought i would cook a little for the house. i tried to make a simple pasta with tomatoes and butter, but the tomatoes were disgusting, the pasta was crappy, and instead of parsley, they gave me cilantro. not only that, but the cook put the kilo of parmesan that i brought here in the freezer! it was awful, but i rebounded from the disappointment to make a nice ragu'.
considering there was no pork, red wine, or celery in it, and that i used lime zest instead of lemon, it was actually pretty good. i also made chocolate chip cookie dough balls, a la mmc, but left out the egg since there wasn't any. the dough won't be baked since i can't find any baking sheets, so it's fine. we just snack on them out of the freezer.
i've come to school with T for 2 days now, and i love her kids. they are writing storybooks with wolves as "good" characters. they are even going to type out and publish and bind them, so i am getting a little involved with it. they are so funny! when they found out that i am writing a book, and that it is going to be 400 pages long, they almost fainted! they keep asking me if i am done yet; they can't believe that i am still drafting, and that i have been working on it since they started the third grade. i am in love with the kindergarteners, though. they are so cute! i don't think i could be an elementary school teacher because i would spend all of my time enchanted by the cuteness of the kids...
things are good with the book. i am getting closer and closer to being stuck, which means that i can stop worrying about it till i go back to italy and have to chase bv around for 3 weeks, trying to get some more material out of her.
i'm leaving for iran next week, and back to italy in mid may. i can't believe i have almost been here a month! it will be so nice to see my family, and my cousins especially. i can't believe i am going back--it's been 4 years already since i was there last. i want to eat lots of rice with butter and fresh cheese with warm bread and sweet tea for breakfast. and my favorite dessert, the cardomom cakes called yazdi, and faloodeh, the rosewater sorbet with rice noodles that you eat with lime. and the sour green plums that you crunch on with salt. yay, yay, yay!
it's shocking and disturbing how much tacky wedding stuff there is out there.
we did get started with the bridesmaids' dresses--mine will be the prototype. we went to the tailor with the beautiful thai raw silk that she bought, and it should be ready on monday. while we were at the fabric store, i caved in and bought this beautiful jamovar handworked silk that i have been eyeing since the day i got here, and am having that made into a dress, too. the fabric is raw silk with a ton of embroidery, divided into rectangles, each worked to look kinda like a persian rug. there is a lovely purple-ness to the whole thing, but the color varies from blues to greens to pinks. i love it! and the best thing is that the dress is being made just for me--there will be no other dress like it in the world. i got it 3/4 length, sleeveless, A-line, with a square neck (i think. i can't remember.) and a higher waist. ooh ooh ooh it is going to be so beautiful!
the other dress is a pinky-purpley color, a little shorter, with a different neck, and thinnish straps, but still A-line. it's going to be really nice, too.
what else? well, we were going to have chupli kebabs the other night, but on the way to the grill, we discovered that meat is rationed on tuesdays and wednesdays here, so we ended up having delicious chicken tikka with roti and yogurt at this great outdoor kebab place. hopefully, i'll get a chupli before i leave next week....
since the cook went back to his village for a week or so, we're on our own for food and i thought i would cook a little for the house. i tried to make a simple pasta with tomatoes and butter, but the tomatoes were disgusting, the pasta was crappy, and instead of parsley, they gave me cilantro. not only that, but the cook put the kilo of parmesan that i brought here in the freezer! it was awful, but i rebounded from the disappointment to make a nice ragu'.
considering there was no pork, red wine, or celery in it, and that i used lime zest instead of lemon, it was actually pretty good. i also made chocolate chip cookie dough balls, a la mmc, but left out the egg since there wasn't any. the dough won't be baked since i can't find any baking sheets, so it's fine. we just snack on them out of the freezer.
i've come to school with T for 2 days now, and i love her kids. they are writing storybooks with wolves as "good" characters. they are even going to type out and publish and bind them, so i am getting a little involved with it. they are so funny! when they found out that i am writing a book, and that it is going to be 400 pages long, they almost fainted! they keep asking me if i am done yet; they can't believe that i am still drafting, and that i have been working on it since they started the third grade. i am in love with the kindergarteners, though. they are so cute! i don't think i could be an elementary school teacher because i would spend all of my time enchanted by the cuteness of the kids...
things are good with the book. i am getting closer and closer to being stuck, which means that i can stop worrying about it till i go back to italy and have to chase bv around for 3 weeks, trying to get some more material out of her.
i'm leaving for iran next week, and back to italy in mid may. i can't believe i have almost been here a month! it will be so nice to see my family, and my cousins especially. i can't believe i am going back--it's been 4 years already since i was there last. i want to eat lots of rice with butter and fresh cheese with warm bread and sweet tea for breakfast. and my favorite dessert, the cardomom cakes called yazdi, and faloodeh, the rosewater sorbet with rice noodles that you eat with lime. and the sour green plums that you crunch on with salt. yay, yay, yay!