fifth seed waterproof flight chases ants from honey

Azelle popcorn hat Nirvana



How did Dan become sixth seed in a six person family basketball playoff? Will his friendship with someone named LaBron help change that? How does it feel to be seeded below a 7 year old? (And a 5 year old? Would you be able to manage a trans continental flight with a two year old and a four year old? Can you iPhone swim? Will a waterproof case help? What takes more honey from a bee hive — marauding ants or benevolent caretakers? Read More...
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Leandra christened, poltroons dither, Tiger cares and Arrow shares

Leandra Christening


How did two-year old Arrow attempt to endear himself to his new sister? Why were his Mom and grandparents far more impressed than the 1 week old baby? And did the new baby accelerate Tiger’s maturity process? Would any reader like to purchase a copy of the Los Angeles Times with the headline: “
On The Moon!”? What big event was celebrated, in Lebanon, by (the lovely) Leandra and her family? Is it necessary to neatly pack garbage? If you’re in pre-school, what’s cooler - a starfish or a dolphin? What is a paltroon? (And why are so many of them ‘serving’ in Congress?) Read More...
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Boxes assemble size 8 shoes as Arrow flies and Family Lebanon arrives

Dan and Arrow Oct 2016 APS


Who designed the system in which Dan and Tiger have the same size shoes? And would you be happy to be younger than your shoe size? Can you remember how it felt when you walked on grass, in your bare feet, for the first time? Arrow can! (And he found an interesting way to handle this strange situation.) Will young Leandra sleep in the skillfully negotiated Lufthansa bassinet on her long transatlantic journey? How many times do you need to read “Goodnight Moon” before you memorize it?




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Coke Zeros (again) as The Prophet (and Arrow) walk

dan, leadra winery background dar and Chiristiane


Did you know that Mount Lebanon is a mountain range and not a mountain? Did you know that there is a 10,000 foot high mountain in Lebanon? What is easier to replace: a transmission or brakes? (And why did the subject arise?) What corporation took advantage of Dan’s time outside of the country? (And how gargantuan was their blunder?) Hint: Not quite as bad as the April 23,1985 disaster.) Did you know that in addition to poetry, Kahlil Gibran was a painter — from Lebanon?
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anniversary dreams and new jeans while Leandra beam


dan Nazy and leandra

Can Melika and Nazy fix Dan’s baggy jeans problem? (Did that pair really make Dan’s butt look big?). What is a perfect way to celebrate a wedding anniversary? How about a perfect place? Is there any correlation between the way, the place and the grand(est)daughter ever? Who sleeps better: six week old Leandra or jet lagged Dan and Nazy? Who is the center of attention: the international arrivals or the new arrival? Read More...
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backgammon craftsman foiled, great apartment found, flight home fumbled


Walking in Typre

Will the backgammon craftsman remember Nazy? (Of course he will! But, more importantly, will he remember the price he quoted the last time she was in Beirut?) Did Darius find a great new apartment in Beirut? (Of course not, but he did find a beautiful and capable wife with skills in that direction.) Did American Airlines provide a pleasant surprise with good service and edible cuisine — edible food — let’s not go overboard. (Well, yes, but how did they blow it in the end?) Read More...
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Tireless Tyre sees Sidon Cedars in the Mt Lebanon Chouf


everyone in AUB

How do you determine the age of a tree — specifically an ancient Cedar Tree — without chopping it down and counting the growth rings? (Hint: think repurposed colonoscopy equipment.) Who hired a travel agent named Lucifer? (No! It wasn’t Dan.) What’s a narghile and who tried it out? What do Tyre, Sidon, the Chouf and AUB all have in common? Read More...
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Red light cedar preserves Lebanon monastery traffic

cut off dar and Chrsitinae elephants

How did Lebanon’s cedars illuminate common approaches from Queen Victoria and Roman Emperor Hadrian? Where do New York City taxi drivers get trained? What promoted Darius to move into a really nice apartment? (Or, more accurately, Who promoted the move?) Where can you see the first printing press in the Middle East? Is there really a place called Deir Qozhaya? Read More...
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pepsi zeros most wonderfully chaotic Sombrero shopping

dan, dar and Nazy lebanon


Middle East tragedy strikes: Pepsi seizes Lebanese soft drink concession from Coke
Zero. Why would anyone buy a Sombrero in Beirut? Where can you see a museum dedicated to the only domesticated insect on the planet? What city’s motto is: “The Most Wonderful Chaos?”. Finally, where can you buy an ice-cube tray to make non-cubical, trapezoidal ice? Read More...
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Ink stained in Saskatchewan with exploding Gucci shoes


Darius and Christianne 1

How will Dan cope on an airplane now that his exalted Frequent Flyer status has vanished? Will he remember to pack trekking clothing for his change of planes in Montreal? Will an explosive ball-point pen get by a security check? Is Beirut still a bargain city? Read More...
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wasta jet d’Eau shoots meditating brussel sprouts at Dan

darius and sunset

Why is Dan rinsing brussel sprouts out of his mustache? Hint: A plumber was visiting the house in Santa Barbara. Can meditation missteps ruin someone’s involuntary nervous system? Who is able to track oxygen molecules as they travel from nose to diaphragm and (yuck!) beyond? What is WASTA and why doesn’t Darius use his? Read More...
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Sidon Honey tYre harbor Old (and new) Ruins

hippodrome 2

The city was 9000 years old - Phoenician, Assyrian, Persian, Roman, Crusader, Byzantine and more - so should you conclude that the best time to visit was 2000 years ago? Would you go there in the rain? How many different kinds of honey are available in the Souq in Sidon? Where are ancient ruins in better shape than modern ruins?

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flawed Homeland tangled wires In beirut

Harrii mosque with ruins in forground

Does anyone wear a hijab on Hamra Street in Beirut? Who would shoot a film that is set in Los Angeles on the streets of Teheran? (And why?) Is civilization possible in a country without Coke Zero? If you heard a loud boom in Beirut would you think ‘thunder’ or ...

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