Scarlet, crimson, red

July 13th, 2009

Red—no matter what other name you call it by— is the color of  passion, anger, courage, sacrifice, warning, fire, sin, revolution, love, power, etc…

red cards michele roohani joker playing cards

red is my favorite color and these are some samples of my reds; let’s start with a red heart or a scarlet letter:

red heart giacometti michele roohani

red tomatoes,

red cherry tomatoes basque ham michele roohani

red fish,

red caper fish swan michele roohani

red Persian rug,

red persian rug micheleroohani

red literature,

red fernando pessoa michele roohani book of disquiet

a red fountain pen,

red fountain pen michele roohani

and a red pencil,

coloring pencils argentina mcihele roohani

red lips,

red lips marylin monroe michele roohani

a hot red car,

red hot car michele roohani

another hot red car,

red smart car merecedes michele roohani

an aspiring red rose,

red white rose michele roohani

and a real red rose,

red rose in a black cup micheleroohani

lovelorn poppies,

red poppies michele roohani loire france

red peppers,

red peppers michele roohani

high calorie red,

red ribbon bran muffin michele roohani

a small red door,

red door amsterdam michele roohani

and a slightly bigger one!

strasbourg cathedral red door michele roohani

the fabulous Miss Wendy:

red miss pink michele roohani guitar musician

Los Angeles’ red light district,

red traffic lights los angeles michele roohani

red beads,

red beads michele roohani

wine is one of my favorite reds,

 red wine michele roohani bottles painting

red steps in Prague,

red steps stairs michele roohani prague

and red steps in Buenos Aires,

red tango dancers michele roohani buenos aires

a disobedient red strawberry shortcake,

red strawberry shortcake michele roohani argentina

and a red blog…

red blog michele roohani

and this is the end of my Red post.

Alone in Paris

April 6th, 2009

Just came back from a brief stay in Paris and these are some of my pictures:

glorious morning paris michele roohani louvre

The Louvre is glorious in early morning,

morning at the louvre michele roohani

some jet-lagged tourists were the only people around,

from Rio to Paris michele roohani

early birds can witness the majesty of an empty Louvre Court.

lonely louvre michele roohani

When you wake up that early in the morning, everything is beautifully calm even in the nauseatingly crowded Paris,

paris penishe seine michele roohani

Another lonely hyper-connected dude:

computer dude in paris michele roohani

I met Jon Stewart at Deux Magots for breakfast that day—he made me laugh…

jon stuart at deux magots michele roohani

Angelina still has the best Mont Blanc of the city and it’s my duty to check the quality every time I am in town:

mont blanc angelina paris michele roohani

Of course my favorite is always “un petit noir au comptoir” (a quick small espresso at the cafés’ counter):

petit noir au comptoir michele roohani

Paris is a movable feast…

heart paris michlee roohani

Couldn’t resist adding this image of Maryam from a couple of years ago…

maryam louvre paris michele roohani

The Persian new year, called Norouz (or Nowrouz)—New Day—is just around the corner and Southern California nights have the sweetly fragrant scent of jasmine and citrus flowers. Last year’s  Norouz blog  remains my  most read post so please visit it for a detailed account of Haft-seen and some great pictures.

camelia bud michele roohani

Tulips don’t know much about the financial crisis and narcissi couldn’t care less about job layoffs; they come out with their effortless beauty, reminding us that nature renews its vows with life every spring.

pink tulips spring norouz michele roohani

Before 1564, most of Europe celebrated the New Year with the first day of Spring.

pink tulip spring 2009 michele roohani

The Gregorian calendar changed that to January first. To me, it is only natural to start the year with the first day of spring and not in the dead of winter…

red striped tulip michele roohani

“Give me the splendid silent sun with all his beams full-dazzling,
Give me odorous at sunrise a garden of beautiful flowers where I can walk undisturb’d,
Give me to warble spontaneous songs recluse by myself, for my own ears only,
Give me solitude—give me Nature—give me again, O Nature, your primal sanities!
Walt Witman

pansies banafsheh spring michele roohani

The Norouz celebration lasts 13 days and is rooted in the 3,000-year-old tradition of Zorastrianism. March 21st will be the first day of spring, the first day of the new year. The fragrance of these lemon tree blossoms reminds me of a Norouz I spent in Shiraz years ago…

lemon tree blossom spring michele roohani

 This poem of Fereydoon Moshiri always makes me smile…

بوی باران، بوی سبزه، بوی خاک
شاخه های شسته، باران خورده، پاک
آسمان آبی و ابر سپید
برگ های سبز بید
عطر نرگس، رقص باد
نغمه شوق پرستوهای شاد
خلوت گرم کبوترهای مست …
نرم نرمک می رسد اینک بهار
خوش به حال روزگار

خوش به حال چشمه ها و دشت ها
خوش به حال دانه ها و سبزه ها
خوش به حال غنچه های نیمه باز
خوش به حال دختر میخک – که می خندد به ناز –
خوش به حال جام لبریز از شراب
خوش به حال آفتاب

sabzeh wheat germs michele roohani

Would it be the dawn of 1388 or 2547 like some purist Persians suggest? It’s surreal to see this anachronistic image of the late shah’s crown in the middle of Santa Monica boulevard wishing you a happy new year in Persian!

pahlavi crown amir michele roohani west los angels santa monica boulevard

I just can not resist sharing these beautiful flowers with you:

violet ranunculus spring 2009 norouz michele roohani

This is a celebration of Life.

pink ranunculus yellow poppy spring 2009 norouz michele roohani

It is time to recalibrate our priorities and do some spring cleaning. Just look at the beautiful baby green of this Hydrangea:

hydrengea baby green michele roohani

The hyacinths (sonbol) or the quintessential Norouz flower:

hyacinths spring 2009 1388 norouz michele roohani

 I wouldn’t dare translating this beautiful Rumi poem about Norouz:

اندر دل من مها دل افروز توئي
ياران هستند ليك دلسوز توئي
شادند جهانيان به نوروز و به عيد
عيد من و نوروز من امروز توئي

anemone ranunculus michele roohani

Don’t forget to visit my last year’s Norouz post.

fish carps michele roohani

Norouz Pirouz!

Santa Baby…

December 20th, 2008

Guess what we all got from Santa Claus this year?

santa claus obama michele roohani

It’s been a horrendous holiday season and my images below illustrate the Christmas mood of Rodeo Drive:

via rodeo sign christmas 2009 michele roohani

The real estate market is so bad, they are giving away whole buildings!

via rodeo christmas 2008/2009 michele roohani palm trees

The haute couture has a small “sale” sign but no buyers…

via rodeo christmas 2008/2009 michele roohani ferre red

The Christmas decorations are as gorgeous as ever but with no money to spend, people are just not in the mood,

via rodeo christmas ornament 2008/2009 michele roohani reflection

and the  Cinderella slipper has to wait for a better (non-bankrupt) prince.

rene caovilla gold shoe michele roohani beverly hills cinderella

The doormen at Prada are waiting in vain too— the headless/moneyless client is entrapped in Koolhaas’ quirky cell:

michele roohani prada christmas 2008-2009 headless man

Last year’s night version of this was way more cheerful…

michele roohani reflection christmas 2008-2009 vuitton

Africa’s still bleeding in spite of De Beers pretty windows:

michele roohani reflection christmas 2008-2009 de beers

An exercise in futility if you ask me but Harry Winston is still showing off its ridiculous necklaces.

michele roohani reflection christmas 2008-2009 harry winston

The poinsettias are effortlessly beautiful and everywhere—they keep bringing a smile to my face without costing an arm and a leg.

michele roohani christmas 2008-2009 poinsettias

poinsettia michele roohani christmas

An espresso and the man of the year to wrap up the day.

michele roohani patisserie nahid christmas 2008-2009 obama man of the year

It looks like we’re going to have to take Einstein’s advice, whether we like it or not: “everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.”

Pretty girl in Paris

November 23rd, 2008

Pretty girls who wish to model for you are not rare in Paris and I found a great one, Lisa Tahmassi, to walk with me in La Butte aux Cailles neighborhood . You are never sure whether it will rain or not—an umbrella is usually a must in almost any season.

lisa tahmassi paris rain umbrella michele roohani butte aux cailles

These two old gentlemen were so out of place in this very chic neighborhood (ok, the café was pretty beat-up)—they couldn’t take their eyes off of her!

lisa tahmassi paris men beret michele roohani butte aux cailles

Ah…the never-retiring beret…

lisa tahmassi paris men beret michele roohani butte aux cailles beer

It was too early to start drinking anything but an espresso at the counter:

lisa tahmassi paris waiting café michele roohani butte aux cailles france

I love these no-fuss cafés of Paris where you can have the best “petit noir” for 1.5 euros.

lisa tahmassi paris cafe coffee france michele roohani butte aux cailles

A world in turmoil screams for our attention,

lisa tahmassi paris presse tabac france michele roohani butte aux cailles

the financial meltdown was starting to hit the front pages.

lisa tahmassi paris figaro france michele roohani butte aux cailles

I have more pictures of Lisa but they have to wait for another post, another day.

lisa tahmassi paris cell phone france michele roohani butte aux cailles

Putting these images together, I am reminded of this terrific, light-hearted song about being young and in love in Paris by Jacques Brel,”Les Prenoms De Paris” (Names For Paris); listen to it here.

eiffel tower with rain drops michele roohani

“Le soleil qui se lève
Et caresse les toits
Et c’est Paris le jour
La Seine qui se promène
Et me guide du doigt
Et c’est Paris toujours
Et mon cœur qui s’arrête
Sur ton cœur qui sourit
Et c’est Paris bonjour
Et ta main dans ma main
Qui me dit déjà oui
Et c’est Paris l’amour
Le premier rendez-vous
A l’île Saint-Louis
C’est Paris qui commence
Et le premier baiser
Volé aux Tuileries
Et c’est Paris la chance
Et le premier baiser
Reçu sous un portail
Et c’est Paris romance
Et deux têtes qui tournent
En regardant Versailles
Et c’est Paris la France

Des jours que l’on oublie
Qui oublient de nous voir
Et c’est Paris l’espoir
Des heures où nos regards
Ne sont qu’un seul regard
Et c’est Paris miroir
Rien que des nuits encore
Qui séparent nos chansons
Et c’est Paris bonsoir
Et ce jour-là enfin
Où tu ne dis plus non
Et c’est Paris ce soir
Une chambre un peu triste
Où s’arrête la ronde
Et c’est Paris nous deux
Un regard qui reçoit
La tendresse du monde
Et c’est Paris tes yeux
Ce serment que je pleure
Plutôt que ne le dis
C’est Paris si tu veux
Et savoir que demain
Sera comme aujourd’hui
C’est Paris merveilleux

Mais la fin du voyage
La fin de la chanson
Et c’est Paris tout gris
Dernier jour, dernière heure
Première larme aussi
Et c’est Paris la pluie
Ces jardins remontés
Qui n’ont plus leur parure
Et c’est Paris l’ennui
La gare où s’accomplit
La dernière déchirure
Et c’est Paris fini
Loin des yeux loin du cœur
Chassé du paradis
Et c’est Paris chagrin
Mais une lettre de toi
Une lettre qui dit oui
Et c’est Paris demain
Des villes et des villages
Les roues tremblent de chance
C’est Paris en chemin
Et toi qui m’attends là
Et tout qui recommence
Et c’est Paris je reviens.” Jacques Brel

Dog eat Dog

September 14th, 2008

It seems we can’t get away from the lipstick, the pit bull and the dog eat dog atmosphere of the circus of American presidential elections! To ease the general anxiety here are some pictures of real dogs and cats.

red leash dog michele roohani

Dogs are hot these days—many people prefer them to having children. They say when you get a dog you are buying yourself a tragedy…

hound dog michele roohani

Man’s best friend,

dog in a phone booth michele roohani

this image will give nightmares to mullahs: a dog on a persian rug!

amber dog persina rug michele roohani

I am not a cat person – I had to look hard in my archives to find these two pictures.

cat on man’s back reading michele roohani

Funny background:

cat with doggy curtain michele roohani

If I had a choice I would have loved to have a beagle like this one who will always be my favorite dog or a border collie. Maybe in another life…

chuck brown snoopy michele roohani peanuts

“Dogs come when they’re called; cats take a message and get back to you later.” Mary Bly

A great cartoon can make you want to laugh, cry, and think all at once. These are the best cartoons I’ve seen lately:

massoud ziaei cartoon michele roohani law and order

Massoud Ziaei’s works are little gems:

massoud ziaei cartoon michele roohani moon

 

massoud ziaei cartoon michele roohani red carpet airplane

and for the bibliophile:

massoud ziaei cartoon michele roohani books

The following are from this young cartoonist:

majid amini cartoon michele roohani signs

his humor is getting darker:

majid amini cartoon michele roohani soldiers

and darker:

majid amini cartoon michele roohani fish

I laughed a lot seeing this one from Hamid Bahrami right after the batman movie:

hamid bahrami cartoon batman loverboy

hamid bahrami cartoon batmanand family

I love his light/bright sense of humor:

hamid bahrami cartoon fig leaf michele roohani

There are some very sad cartoons:

razor heads

 the quiet gnawing pain of children of divorce.

divorce javad alizadeh michele roohani

After the great masters, Ardeshir Mohassess,

ardeshir mohassess michele roohani

and Kambiz Derambakhsh,

kambiz derambakhsh michele roohani cartoon

these young artists— mentioned earlier—bring in a sense of freshness. This is a very funny one called frustration from Randall Munroe:

randall munroe frustration

and one from the late Roger Blachon:

roger blachon sports michele roohani

and this from Roger Tetsu (passed away in 2008 like Blachon—bad year for cartoonists named Roger):

roger testsu michele roohani museum

and  last but not least, one from the great Sempé

sempé petites ballerines michele roohani

I found this fabulous Russian site that archives many cartoonists’ work; once you’re in, there is no coming out soon…


The Desert Garden at the Huntington’s was in full bloom and I couldn’t resist sharing these beautiful images with you. First some gorgeous Echeveria succulents:

Succulent Echeveria michele roohani huntington desert garden

They have fleshy leaves with small delicate flowers like these:

Succulent Echeveria flowers michele roohani huntington desert garden

These are called black succulents and are truly magnificent:

black succulent michele roohani huntington desert garden

Agave (of the tequila fame) , Aloe and Cactus are all members of the succulent family—the cactus having more prickles than others. They are water-retaining plants. Just look at this gorgeous queen victoria agave:

Succulent queen victoria agave michele roohani huntington desert garden

and this pretty pink flower of another agave plant.

Succulent agave pink flower michele roohani huntington desert garden

This one had small blue and red blossoms.

Succulent agave blue and red flower michele roohani huntington desert garden

You all know this more common succulent: the creeping ice plant.

Succulent pink ice plant michele roohani huntington desert garden

This desert garden is nearly 100 years old and has more than 3,000 species of desert plants. Let’s go to the thorny cacti now; you don’t want to get lost on this road on a dark night!

golden barrel cactus michele roohani huntington desert garden

I loved these peach hued blossoms on this prickly pear cactus,

cactus peach blossoms huntington desert garden michele roohani

they turn yellow when they open.

cactus yellow blossoms huntington desert garden michele roohani

This is a more dramatic version of the same plant—it almost looked like under water coral…

wavy prickly pear cactii huntington desert garden michele roohani

Cactus is an oxymoron to me. How can a plant with fleshy leaves and prickles that repel you have such brilliant and intensely colored flowers? It rejects you and invites you at the same time…

prickly pear cactus yellow flower huntington desert garden michele roohani

A closer look,

prickly pear cactus yellow blossom huntington desert garden michele roohani

and the piece de resistance: the red flower cactus.

red cactus flower huntington desert garden michele roohani

This young gardener was busy the whole time that I was visiting the gardens.

straw hat huntington gardner michele roohani

Gardening requires lots of water – most of it in the form of perspiration.”  Lou Erickson

huntington library gardener michele roohani

Red suede shoes

June 30th, 2008

It’s been a busy tough week so that’s all I have to share:

red suede shoes michele roohani

The card is from yet another under-represented French artist: Cécile Veilhan. This particular work of hers is called un printemps abricot or an apricot spring. I have most of her work but she’s still a second to my favorite, Gaelle Boissonnard

Exploration of the unknown requires tolerating uncertainty.

I love California’s warm summer nights and winter days. If I could have a custom made climate, I would ask for warm summer nights of Los Angeles infused with the scent of jasmine and orange blossoms and cool, cloudy winter days.

hotel window michele roohani

In other words I would take the best of both seasons. With the way the “custom made” world is progressing, I wouldn’t be surprised if one of these days my wish comes true.

hotel window shadow michele roohani

I took these pictures in a small hotel in Paris with these typical windows with fake Parisian balconies and cheap curtains. It was magical though – something in the quiet of a curtain’s movement in the breeze reminds us of less noisy times, less hurried lives, less superficial connections…

Marie-ancolie Romanet’s angel

It’s highly unusual for me to add something to a post once it’s been published but Marie-ancolie romanet, my photographer friend, asked me to add this picture of hers that goes with her comments. Check out her site, she has superb images…