About Me
I was born in 1973 at Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C.. You can see the hospital from the Beltway. My parents were born and raised in Iran. They came to the U.S. in the 1960s and, other than the odd vacation, have been here since.
I spent the first 23 years of my life within 15 miles of my birthplace,
other than the odd vacation. I graduated from the University of Maryland
at College Park with a degree in history and moved to Atlanta in 1997.
The following is an incomplete list of the jobs I've had: data entry clerk at health insurance company, door-to-door vinyl siding and window sales appointment scheduler, all-around helper at property tax consulting firm, receptionist, furniture chain-store cashier help-desk operator, commercial real estate public relations agent, wedding photographer, Arthritis Foundation brochure mailer, television theme-song singer, radio-talk show co-host, Brazilian beauty pagaent judge (non-paying), & drum programmer.
Since 2000, I have been a freelance writer and photographer. It's going well so far.
I am Creative Loafing's 2002, 2003, 2004 & 2005 Readers' Pick for Best Columnist in Atlanta.
I was also a finalist for the Society of Professional Journalists' 2004 Green Eyeshade Excellence in Journalism Award. My Don't Panic column, a comedic and informative weekly look at U.S. foreign policy and world affairs, appears in several newspapers around the country and is syndicated online by AltWeeklies.com.
I'm a regular guest on WXIA-TV's
Atlanta & Company. Very
regular. Once per week.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How you doin?
A: Fine.
Q: What time is it?
A: 8:04
Q: Do you think you can go?
A: Depends
Q: What was that?
A: There's someone at the door.
Q: Was that you?
A: Yeah. Sorry.
Q: What are you saying?
A: Nevermind.
Q: Can you grab me a Diet Coke?
A: Okay.
Q: Did you read about that guy?
A: Uh-huh. That was hilarious.
Q: Room for cream?
A: No, thank you.