9/11 is a bitter subject here in new York. The taste is potent when you’re in earshot of the hole where those towers once stood. AM New York documents, in layman’s terms, the fierce and despicable battle over the proposed mosque just blocks from the world trade center. These comments and lists raise more questions than answers for me. How can a good christian arrange such a hateful event as a religious doctrine burning? How can any compassionate mind call for such radical and horrible behavior? Can this contradiction of faith and humanity be justified in any way? The list goes on but I have an argument worth looking in to.

Two years ago I took a ride. I used craigslist to get down to LA. Tamim picked me up at my friend’s house and we were on our way. I asked him what he did for a living and he explained that he worked for the us marines. I knew there was something more because he didn’t say he was a marine or in the marines. He explained to me that he works in a mock village to teach our troops basic cultures and linguistics of Iraq and Muslims. As we continued with our 6 hour drive, I got a lot more than I had bargained for. Islam became the topic of conversation and I was consumed by it. When someone talks about something they’ve devoted their life to, you can feel their enthusiasm within yourself. Islam is beautiful- but one should understand that ugly things can come of great beauty.

“every tool is a weapon if you hold it right” –ani difranco

Let’s not forget the hatred and horrors inflicted by Catholics and Christians alike in the name of their God, protected by the words in their bible. Christianity has it’s own documented rewards for martyrdom as well and have been taken advantage of just as freely as in any other religion.

Does America understand the struggles and great faith, intentions and devotion of followers required to even consider building a mosque?

The basic and most important tenets of islam are so great in their intentions and require a devotion much greater than the common and casual Christian. It is not to say that one religion is better than the other, but one should respect the discipline and self sacrifice. Fasting, continued prayer, earnings to the poor and commitment to faith- it is these things that inspire me to remind those who don’t know what Islam really means. Tithing is not to your church as it is in Christianity, Islam believes that God does not need your money but that the poor do. Fasting every year to remind yourself what you have, focus on prayer and devotion, this is admirable and respectable.

I do not write to avoid the obvious and questionable practices of the religion’s teachings, especially those towards women. But let’s not forget the old testament of the Christian bible and it’s similarities. Many of the teachings are similar because the Islam faith is based on what it considers to be a combination of four religious texts including the christian bible. It is believed to be the “final draft”.

I have to say to the angry Christians, if you read it you might not hate it; it is a part of you. Try not to despise what you don’t understand and don’t give the American media so much power over your attitude towards other cultures. We blame a lot of evil on things we don’t understand or practices different than ours- but you may find that the Muslims are not much different on a fundamental level. They believe in God, love and peace. But just like you are showing the world, there is hatred in the most holy of places- that doesn’t change the beauty of that place. The ugly in you is in you alone and you may wear the mask of God over your face, but ultimately it is you that is evil.

The truth is, nothing really monumentally exciting has happened! I mean, it snowed yesterday- a lot. In fact, when I got off the subway at 7:30am, it was snowing sideways directly in to my face. It was as if gravity had switched its orientation and sleet was just aiming for my eyes. I had much more appreciation for the calm 15 degree mornings. Cold and dry, much better than cold and wet.

Work is pretty much as usual. Customers, questions, answers. Customers, questions, answers. There’s the occasional new tasty restaurant in my life and then I go back home. I still go to the gym 3-4 times a week and a size 6 is just on the horizon.

I’m moving on the 1st of March, I suppose that’s of note. Moving from the Bronx to Harlem. It sounds so badass to name-drop those two areas, but I live in the nice part of the Bronx and I’m moving to a timid and gentrified residential area of Harlem.  The great part about my building is that it’s the attic of a beauty supply store! That even sounds more ghetto than it is, there just happens to be a business at the bottom of the building (quite common).

Today I drag Miss Kathy to the Gym, and then we prance off to Central Park for a bit of snow play.

As I said before, nothing really exciting.

Hash browns do not exist here (it’s homefries only and that sucks)

Yellow mustard is as special request as Dijon is in California

Avocados are NOT the same here, they’re stringy and nasty.

Bagels here make it seem like California has never seen a bagel.

Bread here kicks California bread ass.

There is too much ricotta cheese on pizza here, can’t a girl just get some mozzarella?!

Just saying.

Went to bus Station

Holding hands with girlfriend

Walking by man mutters

“Hey look, lesbians”

gave dirty look

kept walking

off in the distance

heard the following,

“Who’s the top and who’s the bottom?”

giggles commenced.

That sounds silly because I’m 25 years old- but it’s true. I didn’t realize that coats were as technologically advanced as the Macbook Pro I’m typing on now. If you go coat shopping online as I did, the coats even have a Specs page. This is not much different from purchasing any computer! Wind proof, temperature rating, material, recycled material, how many geese are now bald for your warmth, etc..

My coat cost three hundred American dollars. I just took a crazy long pause reading that sentence over and over. My brain just went through fifty different combinations of things I would have rather bought with three hundred dollars. iPods, headphones, PLANE TICKETS HOME, fancy foods, bills for three months and so on and so on. I could actually go to California, back to New York and then back to California AGAIN for three hundred dollars.

All of that is beside the point- which is- I left my apartment yesterday at about 9am Eastern, it was 22 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s only December, I am quivering in fear (and cold) for February. I pranced around in my new coat (which has yet to be named) and showed off to all of my friends at work. A fellow asked me a question that I will never forget, unfortunately, “Is it warm enough for sub zero?”. He asked me this question with a straight face, so my chuckle was not appropriate. I guess that’s what I’m in for, and we’re not talking Celsius, kids. I’m hoping so, because 5,000 geese are shivering and this thing is supposedly waterproof, windproof and overall winter-proof.  (or it sure as hell better be)

Adventures with “coat” so far:

Took coat out to Big Nick’s on the Upper West Side

Took coat out to Old John’s on the Upper West Side

Took coat to the Bank, The Bronx

Upcoming Adventures with coat:

Shopping in SoHo

Breakfast/Lunch at Tom’s Diner

I realize that I am nothing but a pixel in the largest LCD panel on the planet. I am insignificant! In nevada city, everyone is a big fish in that pond! If you get sick, everybody gets sick. If you go missing, everybody knows about it. New York is so loud, so fast, it’s deafening and blinding all at once. And though there is so much to hear and so much to see, I feel overwhelmed sometimes to the point of disability. Everyday I erode a little more of this place and I would need a dozen lifetimes to experience half of new York.

I have met new York, on the subway and at work. I’ve never tilted my head in curiosity so many times in such a short period of time!! They are an amazing people with insane stories to share. More to come!!

Let me explain…

I have transferred my “BART” face to my New York “Subway” face. It is the face I make to appear unapproachable, irritable and generally unfriendly. Every once in a while there is a breech of said Subway Face… and when that happens, it’s worth writing about. So I’m on the Bx09 bus wearing my headphones and my subway face whilst minding my own business. Staring blankly forward I notice a large and drunken man board the bus. One of the reasons that I noticed him was because the kneeling bus wasn’t kneeling on purpose, he had literally shifted the weight of the vehicle. As he passed by, I felt the burn in my chest like I had just taken a shot of really bad tequila. He absolutely reeked of alcohol.

Mistake #1- I made peripheral eye contact

He smiled at me… HUGE. I looked away quickly but I had already lost a defense. I thought that maybe my headphones would hold the silence; I was wrong. In a raspy and slightly slurred voice, I heard from behind and to my right, “Hey pretty wild thing…” Mortified, I wore my subway face strongly and faced forward trying to pretend I hadn’t heard him. (He was wise to my plan) About 12 awkward seconds later I hear him mutter, “Married?”. Okay, now I’m looking for a real way to cut this tie. I hope he might get the hint if I start staring blankly out of the window. I turn up the music (attempting to draw attention to the fact that I AM wearing headphones) and look to my left out the window of the bus. Thinking this is working, I relax a bit and move on from the trauma.

Mistake #2- utilize the glass reflection to ensure safety

This was a disaster- I make another peripheral and amateur move only to find that he is attempting to make eye contact with me through the reflection of the window! With a neck squishing wide-eyed creepy face, he does a child-like wave at me.

I pull the string. I exit the bus.