-
Lawrence of Arabia Syndrome
Someone here in Cairo taught me a really useful term: "Lawrence of Arabia Syndrome". Usually, it refers to Westerners who think that they can swoop in with romantic ideas and solve the Arabs' problems for them, but around here I've heard people using the term differently. It describes those guys - and they're usually guys - who come to an Arab ( Read more... ) -
Mini-apocalypse
Yesterday, the day before I left town, Philadelphia got nailed by the worst storm I've ever been through. It came out of nowhere. One minute it was 95 degrees and sunny, the next it had completely clouded over, hail was falling, and 60 mph winds (or so the news later said) were whipping through the city. And then, almost as suddenly, it was gone. ( Read more... ) -
Begin the begin
In 12 hours, my plane takes off. I'm going to Lebanon first for a couple months - long story, which I'll tell when I'm not in a rush to get out of here - then Egypt for 1-2 years, to do my dissertation. This is a qualitatively different thing than the other two times I've been in the region. It's longer for one thing - I'll really be living there ( Read more... ) -
This is Not a Drill
So, I've been really busy/productive in the last month since I've posted. For one, I seem to actually have a dissertation now, one that I like, and my advisors like. I'll probably be able to defend the proposal in the next few months, and then I'll be ABD (which is academese for all-but Dissertation i.e. you have cleared all PhD requirements except ( Read more... ) -
Always fat
Earlier today, I ran across this ( Read more... ) -
Amiable Enemies
There are a lot of people and groups out there whose agendas I oppose, sometimes bitterly. I'm less opinionated than some, and a heck of a lot less opinionated than most of the people who go into my particular line of work: I don't have strong feelings on cap-and-trade, for instance. I just sort of shrug diffidently when asked what I think about ( Read more... ) -
Snowpocalypse Lite, or: My Kingdom for a Camera
Here in Philadelphia, the snow wasn't as crippling as in DC. The city got a foot or so, the suburbs a bit more. That's not enough to paralyze the city, but it's more than enough to be very pretty, and very, very fun ( Read more... ) -
Two-in-one
I didn't mean to spend a shade over a month with no updates. So much for being good about updating over break - blame my comprehensive exams, which were every bit as stressful and unpleasant as I thought they would be. Well, I'm back now anyway. I hope the internets didn't break while I was gone.
One more piece of meta-LJ from me for the next ( Read more... ) -
Dreaming about Columbine
I was sixteen and a junior in high school when Columbine happened. For me, hearing about it was one of those flashbulb memories, where you remember all the little details of exactly what was going on when I saw the news; people talk about the Kennedy assassination the same way. I was in Quiz Bowl practice. We were getting ready for an online ( Read more... ) -
Too unimportant to ignore
With my dad, I have exactly the opposite of the problem most men have with their fathers: he and I only seem to be able to talk about things that are really important. Imagine the stereotypical, kind of WASPy father-son relationship, only able to talk about sports and the stock market. Not me. I can tell him when I'm in trouble. I can come to him ( Read more... )