Lo Fat Mo

Well it’s been awhile - have you guys figured it all out and put the world to right? No? Still a shitshow? Ok I’m going underground again.

Strangely enough Midtown Caboose is what they called me in college

Some guys have all the luck eh?

File under #simplepleasures: the orange tree in my back yard is in bloom and it’s making the yard smell amazing. Little stuff like this is a lovely distraction from <gestures broadly> you know

What is scratching at the edges of my awareness? It’s irritating and I think it may be the state of the world.

2/2 thing. The thing that’s made it worse was the deep knowledge that a bunch of my countrymen would wish that more had been visited upon me. They countenance for others what they would never conceive of for themselves. I would hope they get a taste of this but I’d rather they just learn empathy.

Returned to the US last night after a short vacation - my first trip abroad under the current regime. I was taken aside at passport control and questioned for about 40 min about a bunch of things wholly unrelated to my trip (& some that were). I felt angry and humiliated and cold at the whole 1/2

Water is kind of amazing

Good bye #Ramadan2025, you were the shortest longest month of my life but I hope we both learned something. Or at least that I did

#Ramadan2025 day 28: tomorrow is the last day and I’m holding on tightly to the sense of calm I’ve tried to cultivate this month. I suppose I should commit to revisiting this in a month and seeing where I am. Wish me luck.

#Ramadan2025 day 27: I missed a day (I know you were wondering if I had keeled over from hunger and dehydration, but it was just due to all the work I had to finish before the end of the week). Rumors are flying that Eid is on Saturday so only a 29 day month this year. I’m feeling a bit relieved.

#Ramadan2025 day 25: Ramadan is the season of giving and I’ve been trying to do that especially as the month draws to a close. If you’d like to also give to some Sudanese folks in need, my sister has identified some families in desperate need. Follow her IG and @bsonblast.bsky.social (same handle)

#Ramadan2025 day 24: Fools’ Spring is well and truly upon us and it’s both wonderful and difficult. It was hot enough that I was parched by midday. Still I really enjoyed the warmth, especially with the chill that dating brings.

Overheard in Berkeley: “I go from picking stuff up at yard sales to talk about how we need to leave the country” #SameGirlSame

#Ramadan2025 day 23: a long busy Sunday and the final week “officially” begins. It’s a flurry of activity and getting gifts ready for small children to open at Eid, figuring out where to celebrate and with whom. I was hoping for more profundity but I’m happy to just feel positive about the month.

#Ramadan2025 day 22: the last third of Ramadan is always tough because you can see the finish line (& the morning coffee that sits steaming beyond it). While it’s too early to be put patting myself on the back, it’s not too early to think about what I want to carry forward with me.

I’m not sure how I’ve become so antisocial though I suspect it has to do with the current climate. Or maybe I’m just getting old? 3/3

In the past few years I’ve really avoided the communal parts of my faith, for reasons I am struggling to articulate. While it’s my own decision, it does leave me wanting more interaction, more community. It’s perplexing and I don’t know what to make of it. 2/x

#Ramadan2025 day 21: I had the opportunity to attend Friday prayers today and didn’t, which I feel bad about particularly because it’s Ramadan. 1/x

#Ramadan2025 day 20: the sun is shining and we’re in the home stretch. Spent some time talking to the Tiny Rhino about morality last night and she had some good questions. This has been the most fulfilling part of this month tbh

#Ramadan2025 day 19: another chilly day here in the void. Read more headlines than my daily dose and am feeling despondent. I’m sure it will pass but it doesn’t make it any more pleasant.

#Ramadan2025 day 18: the sun is out but the chill remains in my bones from yesterday. As the days get longer the time to sunset continues to accelerate giving one a slightly vertiginous feeling. I’m suddenly panicked that the month is coming to a close but I haven’t solidified all my learning!

#Ramadan2025 day 17: a cold rainy day here, and I couldn’t warm up due to lack of extra energy. I thought about all of the people braving the elements under over passes or in the lee of buildings. It’s sobering to think about how close we all are to that, and how callous we all are to it daily

#Ramadan2025 day 16: went to a housewarming today and made two rookie mistakes. 1- forgot there would be lots of hors d’oeuvres there 2- spoke in a loud room for 2+ hrs. My throat is feeling pretty raw still and that’s after soup and hours of water. Hope tomorrow isn’t too unpleasant.

#Ramadan2025 day 15: half way through! Had a lovely dinner with my cousin who is here for a conference and graciously drove up from SoCal to see us! What a gent! Also got to show off the Tiny Rhino’s skillz on the juicer - she’s a chip off the old block!

#Ramadan2025 day 14: and we’re almost halfway through! I was thinking today about the problem of empathy. The lack of basic empathy is really harming our societies - people can’t look beyond themselves. Without that how do we decide that policy unjust to others is a harm to all of us?

Maureen Abood’s Eggplant With Lamb, Tomato and Pine Nuts (Published 2015)

#Ramadan2025 day 13: the opportunity came up today to make a dish I really like since everyone else was going to be dining elsewhere. Nothing like making the dish you want and then savoring it (cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017...)

Nor is it pointing out to others how they are sinners. It’s about helping others and easing the burden of life. It’s about common decency more than it is about how many prayers you say and what flowery language you use. The rest of it is just a frame, but the picture is supporting one another. 2/2

#Ramadan2025 day 12: water water everywhere and not a drop to drink! It’s raining today which is making it colder than I usually feel when fasting. Had a great conversation with the kiddo last night about what the point of religion is. Spoiler alert: it’s not the rituals, 1/x

Apologies for the typos - fasting brain doesn’t like proofreading.