Anwers to Zack's Questions...

How did you and M meet?

Oh boy...he's not gonna like me admitting this one and you may get a good laugh but on www.shiamatch.com. I was tired of people trying to marry me off after i converted and since there were only two single shia guys in denver the odds weren't so great...decided to do it myself online. We talked for a few months on the phone and agreed to marry before we even met or even saw what each other looked like. We met in person a few months later then got our parents involved and the rest is history.

Give us a tour (in words or images) of the house you are getting.

Better yet, just come by. :-) We're inviting you guys over as soon as we get it all done and moved in...probably 2 or 3 weeks. But anyhooo... You walk in the door and there is a great room and dining room with hardwood floors, then a great big kitchen, living room with cathedral ceilings and a stone stacked fireplace, and there's a guest bedroom on the bottom floor. Upstairs are the bedrooms.

What is the best thing you like about Atlanta?

I was very tempted to leave this blank lol. But, i have to admit that the restaurants here rock...there's tons of unique restaurants that have great menus. I also like the cool little nieghborhoods like Little Five Points, Virginia Highlands, and whatnot. I love Ru San's Sushi also. I also like how hawks soar above you as you drive far out on I-85. There always seems to be a ton of them just soaring...reminds me of the verse in the Qur'an that says all of God's creations pray in their individual way...this is what i think when i see them...and how good that must feel. It truly is a spiritual thing to see.

What sort of books do you like to read? What are the best fiction and non-fiction books you like?

I hardly ever get to read for fun these days since i've been reviewing a lot of books lately but if I could read something for fun right now i'd pick a chick lit book (something mindless) - and right now i'm into Muslim and Indian fiction - call it cliff notes for the culture i married into. For non fiction I mostly read the Quran, religious books, history, or political science (noam chomsky/howard zinn sort of stuff). Philosophy is very cool too. The next few i want to read are: The Namesake, What the Body Remembers and one of the books you recommended to me about partition.

How did you survive Colorado winters?

I loved the winters there because it's actually pretty warm. On every sunny day i'd often go hiking or www.geocaching.com - on the snow days, i loved watching movies. It only actually snows about 10-15 days and it melts pretty fast. It's really not as cold as it looks. It's colder here to me because of all the moisture. I miss how in the morning the cold brisk air hits your face and wakes you up, by mid morning, the sun is out and you only need a sweater on, and then the afternoon is nice and warm in the sun. I wouldn't call it survival...i'd call it enjoyable. I truly miss mountain crisp clean air.