Category: Life
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Sitting in Public without a Device
You’ve probably seen the meme that goes something like this: I saw this person at a coffee shop, sitting alone, not on his phone, doing nothing but sipping his coffee. Like a mad man. That is of course funny because it’s not often when you see a person in public doing nothing. Just sitting there. Possibly…
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Another One to Love
Love is not an exhaustible commodity. We know this because when a new person enters our lives, and we love them, we don’t have to release love’s pressure valve and let out a little love from our opposite end to compensate. Love is more akin to the expanding universe. It finds new voids and new…
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Out of the Bubble

I currently live in Saudi Arabia, and as an expat, it’s easy to find yourself living in comfortable bubble. My life in Jeddah feels that way in many respects. My main existence is a combination of apartment living on a compound, busing to school and back, all day at an American school that looks and…
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What I Learned by Attending a Desert Party
A while back, I was invited to a desert party. It was unlike any party I had ever attended, and it was such a unique and interesting cultural event that I ended up learning a lot about living in Saudi Arabia. There are farms in the desert. I thought of deserts being these endless sandboxes…
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It’s so cold. How do people live here?
Coldness. How do people live with it? For the past week, I’ve had my first taste of winter in 12 years, and while there are perks such as enchanting Christmas morning snow, the recent arctic swoon has destroyed all good will I had for the white fluffy stuff. I now know why geese fly south.…
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Hope
My mother-in-law, a beautiful human being, passed on from this life today. It’s been a difficult day for the family, and as my wife boards a flight to head home to be with loved ones during this time, I was reminded of one simple word: Hope. It’s a word I strongly believe in. And as…
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Hey Login Verifications: Chill out! I live in Saudi Arabia, OK?
Notice to all those places which require me to login: This is a general announcement for all those online companies and organizations which I have connected with over the years. Yes, I do indeed, in fact, in verifiable truth, on my Scout’s honor, and in the witness of the Almighty Heavens, do actually and in…
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How to Improve at IMPROV (and Life)
I organized my first official drama event last night here in Jeddah–A Night of IMPROV. I emceed the event where five members of my new drama group – The Sun & Sand Players – took the floor for a crazy night of improvisation. A small but enthusiastic group participated, and we pulled in a slight…
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Living Without Reeses, Corn Chex, and Swedish Fish (no more)
When I lived in Vietnam, back in the meager years after the U.S. lifted its embargo in 1994, I would, on occasion, have my neck snap while doing a double-take as I noticed an orange-colored package at a small shop. It was the Halloween orange, possibly better known as the Reeses’ orange, the type of…
