I haven’t taken a self-portrait in about a year and a half. But today, I have access to my tripod and remote shutter release again.

As it happens, the anniversary of my demi-castration roughly coincides with Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. For someone like me who has mostly lived in places where Judaism is relatively exotic (or at least niche), it comes as a pleasant surprise that these are full-blown days off at CUNY. And this happens to be rather convenient, as the Canadian oncologists had some poking around to do in honor of our year together. Paper is the traditional first anniversary gift, and I’ve been dropping hints that I’d like mine to contain a clean bill of health. (It seems very likely that my wish will come true.)

Anyhow: I am home in Cape Breton. I have brought a stack of books along. I’ll be here for the duration of the Aseret Yemei Teshuvah, and then some.

Here is a photo of (most of) me in my back yard, sitting on top of a green metal barn, recycled from an old boat, on which I used to climb as a child.