this life is only for an hour...

...from the holy Qur'an. I am not a religious person (I drink alcohol and do other things that would make more pious Muslims say I am not even a Muslim). But I tend to think (and maybe I'm just being easy on myself?) that I try hard to be a good Muslim in other ways, in ways I think are more important in the big picture...like being as kind as I can (although I am mean sometimes) and tolerant and non-judgemental (although I am too critical! as my father once told me when I was a young boy [only later did I catch on to the irony that he was criticizing me!]). And I hope no one takes my references to Islaam as preaching...it is just a part of the world that is a part of the dogs and the Sahel and me. If I say for example that I hope people will enjoy reading my blog and seeing the images, Insh'Allah...it is just a part of me to add Insh'Allah (if God wills it), since I would feel a kind of hubris if I did not add it. I guess I'm trying in a roundabout way to say I hope I don't offend anyone, Insh'Allah.
Also, I write "Islaam" in contrast to the transliteration in common usage. But in Arabic there are two "A"'s; one is hard like the sound of the a in the word "bark" (a/ah) and the other is soft and long like the sound of the a in "ram" (aa). And the a in Islaam is the second one. So it is not pronounced Islahm but rather islaam'/eslaam'.