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Category Archives: Sabbatical

The Bidet Chronicles

(Of course I’m sitting on a sardine throne. It’s Portugal.) Wandering through the cereal aisle, she heard a commotion with me lodged between.“MEL?““NO. NOT MILK. HONEY.”“MEEEL!““I DON’T WANT MILK. HONEEY.”“BZZZZZZZ.”“SI!…

The Playground

It’s our last day in the country so we had our café con leche (caliente) at the little coffee shoppe in our neighbourhood before saying goodbye to València’s Old Town…

The Survival Skills

Through the very sweet El Cabanyal neighbourhood, I wandered the 40 minutes down to the beach, and then kept going another near two hours until I reached the end of…

The Green Spaces

I’m sitting inside of the Palau de la Música, at the València Ciutat Cultura. I wandered in here from the park because they’re growing citrus trees inside of the center,…

The Cinnamon Dusted Men

There are parks all over this city. Most all of them have play structures for children, but this was the only one which we came across that had these bouncy…

The Rainstorm

This photo is from yesterday. As I walked down the street perpendicular to this one, I noticed the one giant palm stood alone. Upon closer investigation, I discovered that they…

The Hot Guy

I am honestly not certain what’s more beautiful – an already smokin’ hot man made hotter by reading, or the Spanish countryside between Málaga and València. You tell me, please….

The Bittersweet

On the morning I woke to the two awful messages from last summer’s situation, Jesús (my landlord for my first week in this city), had made me freshly squeezed orange…

The Upside Down

From the second I looked at my phone this morning, nothing today went as planned. Unfortunately, being a glutton for punishment, I decided to go out anyway and make certain that…

The Reunion

Sub7aan Allah. March 28, 2014 was a very important day – it was the first time I read my work aloud, under my own name. It was also the first…

The One Up His Own Ass

I’ve already stated this – I am not a fan of Picasso, neither the man nor the art. However, being in Málaga, one has little choice but to engage his…

The Fried Dough

After an unseasonably cold weekend, the weather picked up and we were able to discover a little more of this city. Specifically, we roamed around Málaga’s historic center, which is…

The Bus Ride

One thing I love doing in any new city, where available, is taking public transportation for hours. Getting on a bus and staying on until kicked off. Never the metro,…

The Emotional Rebound

This beauty is Azooza. She arrived yesterday evening and this afternoon, we finally got into the first of our two places here in Málaga. Being both featured in Min Fami,…

The Good People

I scooted all over the city on one of these today and felt absolutely wonderful. It went to a maximum of 22.5 km / hour, which was ample. Most especially without…

The Treasure Hunter

I watched a man with a metal detector go over every grain of sand for an hour, covering perhaps 20 meters of this vast coast. Billions of grains of nothing,…

The Haberdashery

They still use the term haberdashery in this country. When was the last time you used this really fun word? I never have. Do you actually know what it means?…

The Sea

I left Geneva as the dawn slowly lit into its shadows. It was the first time the skies were without a cloud, all shaded blues, deep pinks, and every lavender…

The Small Swiss

Today is my last day in the country, and so I popped out of the city proper and made my way to Vevey, a small Swiss town with an absolutely…

The Love Behaviour

“I just feel complete and serene and without clouds in my feelings,” is what Heba’s man just sent her regarding their relationship and his feelings for her. I want for…

The Aftermath

The aftershock always feels heavier than the original trauma. Watching and reading so many messages of solidarity and love has made an emotional day a little easier to navigate. Today,…

The Massacre in Christchurch

Sometimes, I go to mosque to pray on Fridays, a thing which I do when either traveling or feeling pain. Had I been in New Zealand, yesterday’s post might have…

The Humanitarians

I spent my entire afternoon at the Musée international de la Croix-Rouge et du Croissant-Rouge. The ICRC is one of the few organizations whose efforts I stand behind fully. Apart…

The Swiss ‘Baby’ Sister

It’s only a few years between us, but technically true. She says she doesn’t feel it because I treat everyone with the same level of respect; I think she’s being…

The Lies We Are Sold

Preamble: There are instances where it is critical to love oneself more than the other party, including but not limited to abusive / violent relationships; in the spaces where our…

The Truth

These last few months, I had barely thought about it, really thought about it; these last three days, it hadn’t even crossed my mind until yesterday, early evening walking the…

The Shaming

I was reflecting on a few important points of which we far too easily lose sight while inside of the grieving process, so jotting them down as much a reminder…

The Better Day

It seems that yesterday’s The Bad Day resonated with far too many of you. Thank you for opening your chests to me, for allowing me to leave a few gently…

The Bad Day

Everyone has’em. Some, more often than others, depending on environment and emotional circumstance. (I am not here touching on the chemical.) Today was a little bit of a rough one….

The Regular

It was only my second time inside, but the proprietor greeted me with a kiss as soon as I walked in, and he remembered how I liked my coffee. These…

The Publishing Contract

I had to sit on this for a while until it had been reviewed by my trusted friends and fellow writers. Today, I signed it and can officially share that…

The COMPLETE Ridiculousness (Of Me)

This weekend, I decided to pay an excessive amount of money for a couple of eggs, under the guise of ‘brunch’. I went to Coutume, sat quietly at a long…

The Manuscript

I am visiting her once again and she is a homecoming. Today, I am grateful for: 1. Words, and storytelling. You have both been my saving grace. 2. Scissors. I…

The Ritual

I pick up my coffee from Zia and walk for a couple of hours daily. I’ve been lucky enough to avoid any serious rain so far, and I’m looking forward…

The Poultryman

He raises them, rotisseries them, and sells them at farmer’s markets, among other places. This photo he places ahead of his cash register and it was the reason I chose…

The Coffee Hunt

In search of a home where I might pick up my other ignored writing, I went on a coffee hunt. First find was Coutume where the interior is industrial funk,…

The Summer Nights

You didn’t spend even one late summer evening walking last year. Since yesterday, this thought has kept tugging at the corners of my mind, weaving itself in and out of…

The Doggos

They are everywhere, and I am always surprised when I am first reminded of this. As though it’s an entirely new fact that is beyond the limits of my imagination….

The Sisters

Before he went to sleep tonight, Fares came into my (his) room and asked for a kiss and hug goodnight. He hovered and gingerly asked When will I see you…

The Reading

I’ve not read since arriving in Tunisia, so have read two books in as many days. Aiming for rest to quicken healing, these are the softest covers for this body….