just spiffy

Walking to the library the other day, I noticed just how nice to chapel on Douglass is. I took a color photo as well, but I like this one better. I think because it looks like it's old. Douglass is one of the oldest schools in America. Though, I'm not sure how old this chapel is. I know it was remodeled two years ago and they did a spiffy job.

over-pass

Over-pass over Albany Street. It's been too cold these days. Well, I like the cold a lot, but it's been too windy and cold these days. Wind can really mess up a girl's day.

Eid: post prayer

Here's the last from my series of Eid photos from this past Monday. This is the inside of ISCJ mosque right after Eid prayer. Men and women pray in two separate groups in the same room, but guess who gets stuck with most of the kids? The women, how typical. This causes lots of extra commotion in the women's section. The kids LOVE to run around on the empty carpets. I have to admit, I did it too, when I was a kid... it was too tempting. Also adding to the chaos is the fact that you must take off your shoes and put them outside the main room before you pray. After a big prayer like this, there's a lot of confused people walking around with one shoe. It's quite a thing to go from a room full of hundreds silently praying in one unified movement, to a mass of people chattering and looking for their shoes.

It is not forbidden to take photos in a mosque, but those who disapprove always make it known, so that's why this photo is blurred. Still, I think it captures some of the backstage mayhem.

getting there is half the fun

An adorable little girl sits on her mother's lap on the shuttle to Eid prayers this past Monday. Parking is such a problem at our mosque that they started a bus shuttle. It was a cold, windy day, so it was nice to be on a warm bus with everyone so friendly and happy.

Eid bangles

Where my family comes from, Pakistan, new bangles are a big part of the Eid celebration for girls. Here are the bangles I wore to yesterday's festivities. More photos of all the Eid fun in the next few days. Now I'm off to eat in the middle of the day, because I can!

Eid Mubarak!

Eid Mubarak means Happy Eid. Today was the Muslim holiday of Eid-ul-Fitr. It marks the end of a month of sun up to sun down fasting and spiritual reflection known as Ramadan. Today, most Muslims in the U.S.A. celebrated Eid in new clothes with prayer, food, and parties.

This is a shot from this morning of a family making their way to the mosque for Eid prayer. Since there was no Eid prayer in New Brunswick, NJ, this photo was taken at the prayer held at the Islamic Society of Central Jersey in South Brunswick, NJ.
Here is a link (http://www.iscj.org/) with more information.

My family and I had a terrific Eid and I will post more pictures from today in the coming days.

'caring is creepy'

Obscenely early Christmas decorations at a local department store. Is it just me or are these two more creepy than they are festive? They seem to be announcing the beginning of shopping season...God help us all.

SEBS

Some random part of the Cook College farming land. One of the best things about Cook College is their agriculture program because it keeps places like this unspoiled. Although I believe Cook College is now referred to as the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences (SEBS) . Doesn't quite roll off the tongue as easily as the old name, but it definitely gives a more accurate description of the school.

origin of symmetry?

My old nemesis, the telephone wire, makes another appearance.

Origin of Symmetry? Not quite, but it does remind me of this cover: http://www.mp3.com/albums/489455/summary.html

*(whoops, i didn't realize these were electric wires! thanks for the correction anonymous!)

not such a bright idea after all

My room's getting a bit cluttered. So I thought I could save some wall space by putting my bookshelf in one of the closets. I took off the closet doors and moved the shelf in, but now it looks like I don't have enough room for my clothes. Now my room looks more cluttered than it did before...rats. [:]o P

cheesy rhyme alert!

I like to run when I can. It helps my mind unravel. Sometimes when I haven't ran, I start to miss the gravel.

each night, before you got to bed

Sorry for the late postings this past couple of days. The rain usually makes me very happy, but lately, it traps me inside. It makes me even more introverted and miserable. I haven't got a lot to complain about by any standard. But what I do have, I won't let out, thus, the trapped feeling. Anyhow, driving around in the rain lends to some pretty dreary photos, here's a gas station off Remsen Ave.

the pits

Peach pits are really quite weird looking.

Passion Puddle

Here's a better view of the man made pond on Douglass campus I mentioned in a previous post with boys playing baseball in an open area. They call it 'Passion Puddle', though it's more often used for quiet reading. ;o)

ominous clouds?

This is a very common sight in New Brunswick. There has been a great deal of renovation and construction going on in the city. The bulk of the construction has to do with improving the look of city in hopes of attracting higher income groups to new developments. The rest of the redevelopment deals with trying to alleviate the mind numbing traffic that builds up everywhere. Thank goodness for those new extra lanes!

Sherman's close-up

I found this little guy sitting on my outdoor trash bin this morning. He's not particularly cute, but he did pose willingly. *Thanks, little one* He looks like he should be named 'Sherman' to me. What do you think?

albus cavus

Some cool graffiti off of New Street. I'm not sure what 'albus cavus' means though. It sounds Latin, so I looked it up and, in Latin, it translates to 'white cave'. Not sure what the significance of that phrase is, but interesting none the less.

*** Thank you Olivier!! Check out Olivier's comment for links with more information about albus cavus.

He found out that they are actually a very cool group that works in accordance with cities to provide all kinds of street art. They started in New Brunswick, but their work can be found all over the place. 'White Cave' refers to the basement they painted white for underground art shows. Thanks again Olivier!

morning scene

I took this picture of Albany Street way to early this morning. There were a few people shuffling about on their way.

It stinks to get up very early for whatever reason and have it be 20 degrees cooler than it was yesterday. But it is kind of nice having the city be quiet for awhile. And it's nice to have a warm coat on and a place to go. It's nice to see things in a different way than you usually do. And it's especially nice to be yourself and make your way up the street without thinking twice.

by day's end

This came out much too blurry, but I just love the colors.

everybody's got some place to go

Cars bustling about.

boys will be boys

Some kids enjoying an unusually warm day on the Douglass campus.
This big open area is one of the nicest spots on Douglass and behind the trees, on the right, there is a man made pond with a fountain.

There are usually some cute ducks swimming around and sometimes you can even spot a heron. It's good that they put benches all around the pond, because it's a nice place to just sit and think.

futile

I came across this at a construction site off Livingston Avenue the other day. It seemed like a real futile way of spreading a message. Still, it did manage to catch my attention, so maybe not so futile after all.

birds eye

The only bad thing about when the leaves start to change is that the flowers start to die. So when I saw this one I thought I should capture it before it too goes away . I'm not sure what it's called, but it's quite unusual looking. It's a long fuzzy looking thing with these antenna like things sticking out of it. If anyone knows what it's called, I'd be interested to know.

The leaves they are a changin'

Looks like the beginning of all the leaves changing color. The college campuses look really great around this time of year and hopefully I'll get some good shots of them.

cutie

This little guy took quite a fall this afternoon. He flew into my second story window and fell onto the front steps. That's where I found him on his back barely moving, but nothing looked broken. After some consultation with my fiancee, I fixed this guy up with some water in a nice little newspaper strewn cardboard box. I brought him inside and he flew up onto the top of my cabinets after hitting the ceiling a few times. After some maneuvering, I managed to get him back in the box outside and after a while he was ready to fly up and into the trees across the yard. He was a nice little bird who let me pet him, (though he did leave an unpleasant surprise in the box).

United Methodist Church

This is a close up of the church that was in the background of photo I took of George Street last week. Olivier pointed it out to me, so I thought I'd get a closer look. I really like these red doors.

better late than never

This would've made a better first post than the one I put up. Though it's a pretty sad sign. I like the ones that say "Welcome " instead of "Entering". It's just more friendly that way. This is the Route 1 North sign, maybe I'll go looking for a nicer one elsewhere in New Brunswick.