counterclockwise

And a break from all that red and green . . .

Or not - it’s Saturday and the roads are clear, so there’s nothing cancelled, but this is the closest I’ve gotten in years, so I’ll just go ahead and celebrate if you don’t mind.

Peace, plenty, and a solitaire-playing gadget to all!

After a long day of near-continuous eating and talking, there’s nothing quite so refreshing as sinking into an evening gadget-coma.

I firmly believe that Oprah will single-handedly undo every scientific advance from the Renaissance onward, and bring us back to four humors and a bucket of leeches if left unchecked.

Courtesy of GraphJam.com:

It’s fall. In this part of the world, it’s not 100 degrees Fahrenheit out. And there are trees turning seasonal pumpkin shades. This weekend, we took Highway 31 to the fire tower on Clinch Mountain, clambered around up there for a while, and then came back to Knoxville along Highway 131. Wanna see?

View Clinch Ridge, Fall 2009 in a larger map

And many happy returns!

My mother and I were invited to attend Eid ul-Fitr celebrations with her colleague Asmaa, her family, and several members of the Knoxville Muslim Community. It was a wonderful experience.

Eid ul-Fitr, briefly, is the feast at the end of the fasting month Ramadan. We started the morning of 1 Shawwal 1430 Muslim calendar (or 20 September 2009 A.D.) by vising the prayer ceremony held for the community at large. That was followed by a traditional breakfast hosted by a dear friend of Asmaa’s family, a tour of Knoxville’s one Islamic school, the Annoor Academy, a break at Asmaa’s home, and then an excellent Indian meal at the home of Famirah and family.

So all in all, a very busy day (especially for the hosts and hostesses), but lots of fun.

This one is Magic.

Thanks, Young Williams Animal Center!

New car.

New computer.

New cell phone.

New cat.

Melting credit card.

I’m not really charmed by the name her previous owners gave her - Cheesy (or Cheesie, depending on how you feel about Spell Check). Anybody got a better idea?

I’m back in the United States.

I have a phone.

I don’t have anyone else’s number anymore.

E-mail me if you’d like to know the number I do have.