I am a tree enthusiast who loves literature and film, gardening and sewing, and puzzles (mostly intellectual ones but occasionally real ones too). I can never read only one book at a time. The western poets I revisit most often are Mary Oliver, WS Merwin, and Rilke. 

I like to make pasta from scratch, but not bread. My favorite meal to make involves sweet potatoes and butter. Last winter, I set out to make a cake that tasted how a cardamom rose latte makes me feel, and I succeeded. I have a small flower garden (from seed). My favorite flower is the gardenia. 

I am intellectually curious, perhaps to a fault. I like energy law because I like infrastructure — it is the hidden organ we notice only upon its failure. My curiosity extends to people. I like meeting people, but I like understanding them more. 

I have an adventurous streak that surprises even me sometimes. I love to hike. I want to swim with whales in Tahiti, I want to go to Oman for the turtle hatching season, and I want to drive down the Chilean coast just to see the milky way, and then maybe take a boat to Antarctica. I like the idea of calling the adhan in Antarctica. 

I love the Quran, and I love getting to know God. A relationship with the Quran is important to me. 

Things that are important to me: 
(1) keeping my heart clean and oriented in conversation with God 
(2) being there for the ones I love
(3) excellence in my roles — professionally and personally — and my hobbies 
(4) making people feel seen, helping someone to feel less alone 
(5) my intellectual health. I like having answers to pursue 

My vice: Hallmark movies and sweetened condensed milk in hot chocolate.

My favorite book(s): A Life Interrupted by Etty Hilseum. And everything Valeria Luiselli has written.