Sometimes my daughters read my blog and they often tell me if I’ve crossed over any lines. It’s unfortunate that in written communication especially, it’s so easy to misconstrue tone and meaning to people’s words. I’ve stopped responding to people’s good news via email with a ‘Good for you’, because I figure it can so […]

I keep forgetting. Honestly, I’ll go most of the day completely unaware that I wear hijab, have brown skin, and otherwise look any different from anyone else and then suddenly something will bring me up short. I’ll see myself reflected in a shop window or someone will say something  like acknowledging how ‘tolerant’ they are […]

And my brain feels like mush. Omigosh have I ever matured in the way I deal with people. A while ago, a contentious issue arose during some discussions I was having with some people where it was myself against everyone else in the room. It’s been a long time since I’ve had to defend my perspective like […]

I’m writing this from my hotel room in Saint John New Brunswick, on tour with the Hackmatack award. The ceremony is on Friday the 13th (in three days or two–too tired to count) and WANTING MOR is up for the award but I doubt it will win. The old adage of it’s an honour to […]

Why do people drink? I go to all kinds of social functions and I swear that no one who drinks has a better time than me, and yet I don’t touch the stuff. I know I can’t tell for sure because I’m not them, but it sure seems that way. Yesterday it was a business […]

Everyone should watch a movie in a cramped airline seat, with a six or four inch monitor, however big it is, and with lousy ear plugs. That way, they can really tell if a movie is any good. I always tend to watch movies after the hype has died down somewhat. I wasn’t very curious […]

I always used to wonder why God seemed to put so much emphasis in the Quran on sending a messenger to a people from among their own people. It’s repeated over and over again. I thought, what’s the big deal if an outsider were to come and point out what they were doing wrong? After […]

There’s a line in Patricia McCormick’s book Sold where the mother says any man is better than none. It’s an interesting line because there are indeed some women who feel that way. In fact in writing Wanting Mor, I thought the stepmother was a bit like that too. But actually my stepmother is much more […]

It was a National Book Award finalist but it’s written in free verse! Gosh I hate free verse novels. They feel like the writer cheated. They’res kind of artsy fartsy. I think the first one I read was Kiss the Dust. It was good but I think the format is annoying. I mean why couldn’t […]

Can’t figure out the right consonants and vowel mix that perfectly imitates the groans coming out of me. Woke up with a sore throat. Took my Cold Fx but sometimes you just have to be sick I guess. Got through the day without sneezing too much, it hit hardest when I got home. Bought three […]