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The Nerding

I really love studying. Like, really really love it. In fact, every couple of years, I take a Masters-level course to refresh my knowledge. I nerd OUT and take matters…

The Shape-Shifters

Isn’t he the CUTEST? I found him hidden between the flowers and bushes and he is the tiniest little gnome around. I imagine he gets peed on a lot, poor…

The I Am Moments Away

“Is there a time that you miss? That you could go back to?,” she asked. There is. There is one particular moment to which I would love to return. This thing,…

The Fall(ing)

There is lovely ‘velo’ (bicycle) art all over the neighbourhood, such as this one. Though hard to discern from this photo, Canada’s begun to cool down, so all windows are…

The Routine Kink

This is Jules, first of two cuddly companions until Sunday. He’s the fatso who, as soon as I get up, hauls his massive bottom over to where I was and…

The Cycle Closing III & IV

I had to place a reminder in my calendar that today is the third of four (but really five) sunsets on marker dates. First and second pieces of this particular…

The Welcome

They are a married couple named Mary and Joseph, both in either their late 60s or early 70s. When I met them, Joseph was bleeding from a cut on his…

The Cake

I most definitely didn’t bake or ice it. I also haven’t purchased a birthday cake for anyone in years, and apart from celebrating my own birthday in 2017, I’d not…

The Magic of The City

This image is unfiltered, and it is the view from my bed, which I can only describe by referencing an Arabic saying – it opens your nafs, with ‘nafs’ meaning…

The Bridge

I’m sitting in Foley Square writing, after having come from the Brooklyn Bridge, and on my way for good old fashioned pasta in Little Italy. Another beautiful day here, but…

The Tour

Still talking, and still confused by the camera. When in New York, make certain to visit the Tenement Museum for their Under One Roof tour, a beautiful homage to the…

The Hajj’s Footsteps

Jum3a mubarakah, friends. I spent the better part of my day in Harlem, following the spirit of El-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz, better known still as Malcolm X. I decided to complete…

The Women And The Food

Isn’t this the perfect spot to spend time reviewing 2e group verbs (made even more perfect by the three French people sat to my right)? We had ideal weather here…

The Pedestrian Review Of Sea Wall / A Life

Funny thing about this photo, which began before I arrived at the Wall. See wall? It’s full of life. Clever, innit? When I arrived at the theater, the lovely Natalia…

The Sexless In The City

I bet I got randomly selected! You did! How did you know? Because I’m Muslim! The Immigration officer was not as amused as I was. And this is how my…

The Woman Sacrifice

There recently was a dust-up on Twitter (the hellscape site) after a man posted some awful meme instructing that if a woman won’t be with you when you’re sleeping on…

The Old Man

I really love Ottawa’s mood this close to Fall. Cooking tonight, I thought how I forgot to tell you a story that still has me a little bit confused about…

The Two Under A Crescent Moon

That’s how they start. A blank canvas, and then a very simple outline, around which I complete my doodling. I don’t have a technique, I just create dark doodles around…

The Cycle Closing II

The sun has set on another marker date. Hurrah! As mentioned in the first part of this particular thread, there are four marker dates spanning until the 15th of September….

The PTSD

Her aesthetic is in fact my favourite. Just look at this – If I were to move into the home of one of my girlfriends, it would be Alexandra’s. That…

The Tarot Reader

I don’t believe in it, but I enjoy it when it presents, which it did tonight. I believe that the same energy courses through everything, and so there are answers…

The Planting

When you hear a Muslim describe a thing as Sunnah, what they mean is that it was the way of our Prophet (sAws) – things that he did, means by…

The Gaza Strip

These three beauties? My cousins. I think of them as chickens because I am the eldest on my mother’s side, so everyone after me is a chicken. From left to…

The Courage To Apologize

I mean. Not only is she a stunner, but she’s also the perfect date. Tonight, she got to see me pressure cook, and was PLEASANTLY surprised by what happens to…

The Instagram Man

I’m a little notorious for my t-shirt messages and couldn’t be happier about it. Also, last year I decided to stop buying magnets. I failed really well. We watched a…

The Acknowledgment Male

I spent the day by cool waters, shaded by trees full of birds. It’s a good jum3a. A few friends have asked about the first part of rose-water syrup’s Acknowledgment page….

The Cycle Closing

I haven’t been sure whether I would mark out certain dates. Upon reflection however, I recognize that it’s important for me to appreciate new beginnings and all amazing and unexpected…

The Men And The Director

There’s only two men for whom I would ever consider trekking. Jake Gyllenhaal (gee-why-double elle-eee-enn-aitch-double eh-elle. How is this hard?) because he can grow a beard like no body’s business….

The See Ya Soons

You’ve read about Natalie on a few occasions during The Sabbatical. The fella behind her is Joel, her husband, and an excellent photographer. Even the randomly captured by him are…

The Little Girl Heart

This city’s sky was a real mood tonight. One of the things I cherish most about myself is how trusting I am. I think that’s rooted in what some identify…

The Loss Of Love

You’re getting three photos of us because who doesn’t like spam? My lovely day was spent with family – momma and Ranoosh. We began by waking up at the unGodly…

The Liking Of The Face

Third photo of my head in a row. And guess what? Tomorrow there will be a fourth, only with others because it’ll be Eid. Nothing is better than natural lighting,…

The Oceanside Time Travel

I felt it would be a good idea to bookend this trip with the same sort of images. Today, though it started off quite rough, has ended in a far…

The Emotional Response

Gavin. One of the few people from work I’m interested in seeing while on The Sabbatical. I would have taken a photo of him purchasing rose-water syrup, but I forgot…

The Venice Twilight

There appears to have occurred a ripple in my timeline, since the accident. It’s as though there is a distinct break between everything before that moment, and everything since. Eons…

The Mourning

“We die,” Morrison closed her Nobel Prize address. “That may be the meaning of life. But we do language. That may be the measure of our lives.” If you’ve lived…

The Will To Destruct

The sign had the same text in Arabic, Hebrew, and also Mandarin. I wonder if the inside of the home is as colourful as its shell? I cancelled everything last…

The Death On PCH Today

I’ve always read that blood is a lot darker than we think it to be, but it wasn’t what I noticed. It was brighter. I rented a car for the…

The Shootings

I don’t know what to write other than to express that my heart goes out to every family and beloved who has lost someone. I am sorry for all of…

The Hair In My Yolk

I watched men surf today and lost track of time. Because whose the only John better than Wick? Johnny Utah, my friends. After the surfing, I discovered that in California,…