4 posts tagged “go jetsetter go”
Well. I'm back. Back from The Islamic Republic of Iran. And back from my trip to the City of Angels.
One of the things (of the many things) I was excited to come back to was my beloved baby, the 540i. For those of you that know me, or even those that have met me only once, you know that leaving my car behind for a period of time makes my heart ache like nothing else.
The 540 has been carefully stowed at my local most-friendly most-incredible BMW dealership, Gebhardt BMW. The moonroof was in for repair, and let me tell you, it's no small feet (and no small charge, for that matter). Be prepared to shell out a couple cold hard G's for that repair. But if you're the oh-so-lucky-Sheima, and I am, you don't have to worry about such things. Gebhardt BMW loves me. I love Gebhardt BMW. They did everything in their power to hook me up with the repair cost$$$. :) :) :) :)
Upon going to the shop today to pick up my car, my mechanic wanted to drive my car to make sure everything was in prime working order. (I told you they loved me.) Pressing in the clutch, he noticed a not so favorable sound. For those of you that have experienced a clutch going out, you know what this sounds like, and you know it doesn't sound so nice. Promptly after the wretchedly monstrous sound, three mechanics and my service advisor looked at me with sad eyes and well, just kept looking at me with those big sad eyes....
"Well. What are we gonna do, boys?" I exclaimed.
"Looks like we're gonna have to fix the clutch earlier than we thought." my mechanic replied.
"Let's do it. It's a good thing I don't have a job to get back to..." I smiled.
So the 540 gets to stay at the shop, after being there for nearly a month. And I got to hitch a ride home in a new BMW 550i. Sadly, it's not my car for the week. I will have to resort to using the BimmerX (BMX for those of you that have not been properly introduced to my bike).
ON A POSITIVE NOTE:
I did have the good fortune to witness a BMW airbag set off by remote. And I caught it on video. A tennis ball was placed on the middle of the steering wheel (where the BMW logo is) to see how far it would be launched into space. See for yourself...
Today I ate more food than my stretchy pants could handle. I also learned that wearing a Puma zip-up track suit underneath my Islamic approved garb was a bad idea while eating at a restaurant.
Today I also had some good discussions with my family re: Persian typography and design. Good business ideas and creative endeavours to pursue in the very near future [if only my inspiration can turn into perspiration].
Tomorrow I visit with more family at ISCO [ which stands for something clever ] and hopefully get some writing samples from someone in my family with a knack for Persian penmanship.
Up on deck:
Plans to see an Iranian film at a theatre
Find Iranian design / typography books to buy
Drink a Pomegranate Slushy at a tiny corner window shop called Africa
Visit more family
Eat incredibly delicious food that will make me feel bloated all day
Dance [ while hopefully not bloated ]
Spend some time with my dad and grandmother
Drink Turkish coffee and hear my fortune from my grandmother or aunt [ and in the process learn a thing or two about telling fortunes ]
Take tons of photos and little video snippets
Show off my MacBook Pro to my family [ they really dig iCal and iPhoto so far, After Effects was not appealing as I wiped off all projects prior to coming here for some dumb reason ]
Scoping out the many 2007 BMW models hitting the streets of Tehran [ people pay DOUBLE the price for BMWs here in CASH. This means a $90,000 7 Series retails here for $180,000. And there is no such thing as leasing here. Or credit for that matter. Pay in full. Cash ]
Drink tea...
Watch satellite television while thinking of working for Dubai 1 network in, well, Dubai
SOME FOTOS FROM TEHRAN BAZAAR taken yesterday:
HERE'S SOME PICS OF ME AT A TEAHOUSE IN TEHRAN. I'M WITH MY AUNTS AND MY GRANDMOTHER. THE OLD GUY WITH THE PRAYER BEADS IS SOME RELIGIOUS DUDE THAT TRIED HOOKING ME UP WITH SOME RELIGIOUS DUDE THAT WAS QUITE YOUNGER THAN HE.
HMM. NOT SO MUCH.
BTW, EVERYONE HERE THINKS I'M A FRICKIN' ARAB THANKS TO THE PATTERN ON MY HEADSCARF. NO ONE UNDERSTAND I ROCK THE HOUNDSTOOTH CUZ IT'S FUCKING RAD AND BLACK AND WHITE.
WHATEVER.
PEOPLE LOOK AT ME ALL SORTS OF STRANGE WHEN I WALK DOWN THE STREET. PEOPLE SAY THINGS. LOTS OF THINGS. AND I LAUGH IN THEIR FACE AS I APPROACH THEM CUZ I SEEM TO SPEAK THIS FARSI LANGUAGE QUITE FLUENTLY.
HATE THE FACT THAT PEOPLE HERE GOTTA HATE ANYTHING THAT'S SLIGHTLY OUT OF THE NORM....
...NOW U KNOW WHY I'M SUCH A HATER. APPARENTLY, IT'S IN MY BLOOD.
I'M REALLY NOT ALL THAT ANGRY RIGHT NOW, JUST BEEN A CRAZY WEEK.
THINGS I'VE DEALT WITH THIS WEEK:
FAMILY DYSFUNCTIONALITY TO THE NTH DEGREE
FAMILY MEMBER IN MASSIVE CAR WRECK / NECK SURGERY
SHISH KABOB
MORE SHISH KABOB
FRESH BREAD
WAKING UP EVERYDAY AT 6 AM
LOTS OF MUSIC VIDEOS COURTESY OF SATELLITE TELEVISION BROADCASTED FROM DUBAI
WISHES OF WORKING ON MUSIC VIDEOS IN DUBAI [ TAX FREE! ]
WISHING THERE WERE OPIUM IN THAT HOOKAH
MISSING MY AMERICAN BATHROOM
FEARING FOR MY LIFE IN THE MIDST OF ARCHAIC TRAFFIC
THINKING OF THOSE BACK HOME
MISSING MY PHONE
MISSING MY EMAIL
MISSING MY BLOG
MISSING MY INTERNET
MISSING MY CAR DEARLY BUT NEVER WISHING FOR IT TO BE ANYWHERE NEAR HERE
TOTALLY STOKED TO HANG OUT WITH FAMILY AGAIN
LOTS OF DANCING
LISTENING TO JOHNNY CASH IN THE MIDDLE OF WEEKEND TRAFFIC IN DOWNTOWN TEHRAN
SEEING A COUSIN IN A VIDEO MIMIC MY DANCING [SCARY]
CONSTANTLY LOST IN THOUGHT AS TO WHY EVERYTHING IS SO DAMN DIFFICULT HERE
and many other things that i can ramble about.....
until later, my friends....
this book, recommended by a very friendly staff guy at Barnes & Noble. Been on this whole travel kick since summer and everything I'm reading about takes me to a different place. After traveling around Europe, I thought it would be worthwhile to read about traveling in America. Bill Bryson has a very sarcastic and humorous approach to traveling around small towns in America and seeing it through a foreigner's eyes (he lived in England for a number of years after escaping the confines of Iowa).
ALSO,
I finally wrapped up listening to my audio version of Chuck Klosterman's Killing Yourself to Live. Chuck visits cities around America where famous rock stars have died and documents his journey on the road while recounting tales of his sad love life and raucous nites of perilous drinking adventures.
keeps telling me to finally read the wise words of Suze Orman. But man, that shit does not seem exciting at all. Who wants to hear that you should get rid of your Netflix account because you're already paying over $100/month for your fantastic HD cable package?? And why should I get rid of my land line? How do I find my cell phone if I lose it in my apartment?
I'll spend my time finishing up Bill Bryson and Chuck Klosterman's IV. This book traveled with me from the airport in Chicago all the way to London, The Channel Islands, Berlin, and finally back to Boulder. And yet, it still remains unfinished.
I will head out of this coffee shop with cold coffee and sub-par pastries and meet up Rossa & Ken for some Sunday football action. The Denver Broncos are playing the Colts. More importantly, Rossa has an overflow of steaks and racks of ribs that are longing to be consumed by a girl that hasn't had a proper meal in days.
