What I was writing when she called with the good news:

A recent application for graduate-level Arabic studies included an appropriately perplexing essay question: “What is the most serious problem in Islam today?” One may consider to what degree the questioner is posing a sort of political litmus test. Is a prospective Western applicant aligned to the sense of cultural self-defense, adhering to the notion that a global growth of Islam represents a vital threat to Western values? Or does our applicant take the opposite position, that the most pressing threat to Islamic mores comes from those outside the religion? But this entire line of analysis is basically flawed.

So I was already in the mindset of forging ahead, brave new frontiers, that sort of thing. While I don't think Islam itself has any genuine problems, I do think it could benefit from some defense. Why does the West take the bloody-minded approach that it does? Why does it cling to ancient stereotypes to justify foolish hatreds? Having demonstrated such capacity for intrinsic sweeping change, even to the point of solipsistic relativism, why is this so difficult? But anyway.

I will arrive in Istanbul on June 17th! We fixed this date tonight, I received the confirmation email and all. She actually is helpful! Or at least did what she promised. She knows how much this means to me. I wonder how to proceed from here. Istanbul, Bursa, then what? Syria? Lebanon? Egypt? Morocco? Hmmm... None of you ever comment on this, I doubt few of you actually read this drivel anyway, so asking my friends for their input is surely beside the point. But I love you guys anyway.

Makes you wonder where her other hand is....

Tagline: Solving the Mystery of Duck Genitalia

Wow, without even a parental consent form. The article is even better. Go find it yourself.

Iwa?

Wow, she’s nice. Of course she is. But I knew this before. I wonder what she thinks.

So what’s next? One must always maintain a view of the future. Struggle with your problems of the present, but do not let them overwhelm you. Even a disagreeable nervous system can be dealt with. Beshwiya.

I am agreeable with marrying in Morocco, but I realize the giant difficulties with leaving the place that this would pose. Maybe not completely, but at least I’ve got that far. I think I already had my “get out of jail free” card: that was Zoe’s mother, unfortunately. I think one is enough. Jalila was not such a refusal; this was medical. You can’t play baseball if a meteor lands in the park.

This is Jalila, incidentally. Draw your own lascivious conclusions.