I had another emotional day. It started with being interviewed for David Gardner's podcast. I really didn't expect to be emotional. David was asking about the past films, and it was all hunky-dory. We talked about how I blend realities sometimes, so that it becomes easier to distinguish what's real in every day life sort of like a Zen koan or Sufi poetry. "In Sufism, there's this idea that if you can get underneath the seven layers of meaning in a poem, the student can wear t

I'm overwhelmed with all the support we've been getting. That's getting me emotional too. My Uncle Farahmand is already talking about me doing some TV spots for Iranian programs in LA next month. "You need a sidekick," he said. "Someone who can translate for you." "What about Meina?" I said. "She's good for French," he laughed. I thought that would look cool. To have two cousins who are in the film side-by-side. That's why I wanted to have us doing the road trip across Americ

I'm still really emotional. I'm not sure what's going on. I don't know if it's looking at the trauma or fatigue at this point. The slightest thing can start a waterworks show. I figure I'll just let my body go through what it's going through. That's what I was thinking as we started the drive up from Delaware to Philadelphia. My dad and I started chatting right away about haan. The Korean word for suffering. I talked about the American blues being similar and was curious if h

I forgot to talk about what happened on the drive. At one point on the trip, while still driving through a part of New York, we decided to stop at a CVS to get some alcohol swabs for the new tattoo. I didn't know if you were supposed to clean a tattoo after getting it or whatever, but it was looking a bit green. My dad suggested using his alcohol swabs. "They are 70% alcohol," he told me. I didn't know if they were the kind of wipes you get when you get KFC. "Those are just a

I didn't cry on the third day, but I looked like I just did. This is because I was so tired. I have been having trouble sleeping. This is what usually happens during production. It's better when it's a fictional film and you don't have to be on camera, cause you can look a lot better behind the camera. But, I figured the best documentaries are being naked and whatever you are, so I've given up on me looking good. I'll just be me. And I suppose everyone else will be them. That