A Collection of Daily Wisdom by Dennis Sylvester Hurd since September 2003.

I'd never wish the stress of a calamity on others. Still, a house fire or flood must be a sure way of getting rid of junk collected over the years. As a case in point, I finally got around to throwing away these old things that were hanging on the wall in the bedroom. Had it not been for painting the walls, they very well could've been hanging around, literally, for years more.



Here's the story on the front frame. In 1988, I worked for a year for the Royal Saudi Naval Forces in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. Instructors were given dorm-style rooms right on the military compound. The rooms were provided with basic furniture. Whenever an employee left, their old room was always left unlocked. During one such time, I found this RSNF-inventoried picture. It was calming to see the river scene while actually sitting on the edge of the desert. Additionally, it may have reminded me New Hampshire, I guess. I appropriated it.

After I left Dammam, it came with me and was placed on walls in Bahrain, the UAE, and both apartments in New Westminster. During one move, the glass broke. In the intervening years, the colours faded. So, after twenty years, I realize it's time to say goodbye to it. One of the other little pictures was salvaged from a dumpster when a hotel in Dubai was updating rooms. The third was a framed beach towel from long ago.

I don't mind parting with them; it's just I had to document their existence here first.

Labels: Saudi Arabia, souvenirs

I have always been rather interested in maps and globes. Therefore, I simply love the computerized equivalent called Google Earth. What an amazing resource! I know, I've blogged about it in the past. Yet, the interface continues to improve and the addition of layers and 3-dimensional buildings and objects makes the experience better and better.

I don't know why I don't run into more people who are as enthusiastic as I am. I can check real places around the globe I've been. For example, after mentioning Yemen in an entry here the other day, I wondered about a military camp where I once worked. Jay and I met after I arrived at the Taif Army Ordinance Corp and School in Taif, Saudi Arabia. I located the area: 21 19' 08" N 40 26' 07" E. Obviously a lot of things will have changed since 1985/87!

I am probably more likely to use Google Earth when researching upcoming vacations. Being able to zoom right in on a specific address can be useful when checking for hotels or attractions. It seems great to see areas before visiting them. It's no longer necessary to physically be at a place in person to get the lay of the land. Which road shall we take to the southern rim of the Grand Canyon next month? I'm checking right now in another window, in fact.

Labels: Desert Southwest, Google, Saudi Arabia, travel planning

It was less than a week ago, when one entry here hinted how I considered the lack of uniformity in media as a potential detriment. I reckoned that too much variety has the unintended consequence of providing fewer shared cultural references.

From the photo above, you can see that when we pop a DVD in the player, we are often far from ordinary. The major advantage of using a video-by-mail service is not that it's cheaper. The number of titles available at zip.ca is enormous. I could never expect my local Blockbuster to carry the number of unique titles we usually watch.

A New Day in Old Sana'a arrived today. It was a winner of the Cairo International Film Festival in 2005. It is supposedly the very first full-length feature film from the country of Yemen. When we worked in Taif, Saudi Arabia the capital, of then North Yemen, was not far away. Although we never actually travelled there, we have sufficient references to make the movie a must see.

Labels: movies, Saudi Arabia

Today's picture is not new to the blog. In fact it was first published on November 1, 2005.

At the time, I mentioned that I had earnestly started to scan some old photographs for Flickr. The picture to the right was taken during my time in Taif, Saudi Arabia. On an outing one weekend, which occur on Thursday and Friday there, we used to venture around the mountain city. These boys were playing in a rural neighbourhood. In the very conservative parts of the Kingdom, taking photographs of people was frowned upon. Still, these kids were very happy to be the center of attention. This picture was mostly likely taken in 1985, so 23 years later I never again expected to hear about them.

I'm only including a re-posting of the photo because of this very interesting email that I received yesterday:

I was searching for Taif City on the Internet, accidentally arrived to your web site and luckily and I saw the photo of the two kids from Taif, there are my cousins, the kid on the right side of the photo is now a high school teacher and the other on the left of the photo, now he is Saudi Airlines Employee and the area where you have took the photo it is my home point in Taif. I have sent the photo to the two guys, they remember it and they were so happy. The two guys are married and both have kids.

Best Regards,
Abdullatif Al-Fageeh

Labels: email, Flickr, Internet, mountains, Saudi Arabia, scanned, sharing

There are a large number of Chinese students in my class so they often end up falling back into their own language during break time. I was correcting some worksheets today. Mahmoud is a student in my class. I was chatting with him in English during the class break today too. I learned he was born in Saudi Arabia. There are no other Arabic speakers in my present group.

This prompted me to consider my time in the Middle East. I am in this picture taken in Saudi. Out in the desert, we ran across this camel which had obviously seen better days. It was dried and baked to a crisp so I have no idea how long the carcass had been there. This picture was taken well before Mahmoud was born!

Labels: flora and fauna, Saudi Arabia

On a Sunday while lunch is simmering on the stove, there's sufficient time to put a photo or two on the glass of the scanner. I have to admit the only reason it even crossed my mind today was due to the inclusion of the photo in yesterday's entry. I firmly believe pictures cannot live up to their potential if kept in a big box in the closet. Even the most poor-quality picture can be re-born into a more robust digital existence.



I'm sitting in the middle of the road in Saudi Arabia in 1986. We used to frequently slide down over the escarpment, around Mecca, and to the port of Jeddah. It was always fun to get away from Taif on the weekend to enjoy shopping in the big city. Twenty-two years ago it was possible to sit in the middle of the highway due to the lack of traffic. This is probably not possible today.

Labels: Saudi Arabia, scanned

Jay and my car near Taif, Saudi Arabia at the time of this letter.

I'm in one of those moods. Rather than actually think today, I'll use this space to paste in some old textual documentation from the past. This was the copy of a letter sent to my dad. Unfortunately I don't write much to my father nowadays. I do, however, have plenty of former correspondence. I put a whole mess of old data on a double-layer DVD for safe keeping.

This seems an appropriate time to include the following letter. It was written 22 years ago on my first DOS computer. At this time, I had switched from WordStar to the amazing floppy disc version of WordPerfect V4. I was most probably still writing on a monochrome monitor or perhaps I had upgraded to CGA. The IBM compatible PC was purchased in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia but I was writing from my TOCC&S BOQ room in Taif. I cannot quite remember anything about the topic here. I don't have any idea of what I was planning in a half year's time. Maybe I should have kept a journal too!

---

Siyanco SOCP 06
Box R - 168
APO, New York 09017

Dear Dad,

I just got your letter of January 18th where you mentioned about a Dodge truck for sale. Well, I had never really considered one of those. (The only thing that I could relate to was the old rust bucket of a 3/4 ton that you owned for a while.) Actually, a half ton wouldn't be too bad. I do have faith in slant sixes. My wagon had near a grand on it, and it was still purring at 35K. (And the plugs are so easy to change!) Vehicles don't seem to rust out in Seattle, which is rather strange because it is a l w a y s raining! No, salt on the roads, I guess. So if the body is good, why not?

$2,200 sounds like a pretty good deal for it's age. If you had $2000 in cash, do you think he'd accept it? Oh, one question: Is it a stepside or fleetside? I don't even know if I've ever seen a stepside Dodge truck, but I don't like them. I definitely would want the extra room that the regular style body would hold. I'd be planning to put on a cap then sleep and camp in the back sometimes.

If you think it'd be a safe vehicle to roam out to the wilderness of the Pacific Northwest in, then I think it sounds like the right buy for me. I don't know how long it might stay in Avery's lot, but if you could take a "snapshot" picture of it, then I could see it too. (Is it under 5 feet of snow?)

Remember, there's no real rush, as I won't be needing a truck for nearly half a year. But if you think the forementioned one will suit my needs, then I can send you a check immediately. Do you expect that any better deals could come along?

Anyway, everything here is O.K. Work, sleep, and eat, you know how it is. Take care, and I'll be waiting to hear from you.

---

Labels: cars, file archives, Saudi Arabia

Frankly, I don't know why I held onto it for so long. I cancelled this today and now it is in the garbage. I don't think I ever swiped this particular card, even once! The difficulty in getting rid of an AMEX card probably stems mostly from personal nostalgia. The little piece of plastic said that I'd been a member since 1985. It's hard ending a twenty-two year relationship, I guess.



A standard AMEX green was the first credit card I ever owned. I had access to a US APO mailing address when working for the Taif Ordnance Corp School in Saudi Arabia. Thinking I was flush with petrobucks, they issued the card upon first request. That card did quite a bit of travelling back when the world was a tiny bit less global. I should've kept the receipts as a journal!

Even when first getting to Vancouver in the late 90s, I used to change on that account although it was in US dollars. Then, every month, I'd take the SkyTrain down to the Burrard Station and go in to the AMEX office and pay my bill.

I don't remember at one point I decided it was silly to have to pay an annual fee for the privilege. I swapped for the their platinum, but by that time I had pretty much switched over to a MasterCard.

Alas, it's the end of another era ...

Labels: credit card, money, Saudi Arabia

Those new platters, mentioned yesterday, for electronic bits are spinning nicely. Likewise, I ran round and round today organizing old computer files. I still have electronic files and documents with DOS timestamps of 1986. I used to write letters with a word processor. Moreover, I worked overseas so letter-writing was an art I frequently practiced. I have lots of Wordstar and WordPerfect files.

Today, I copied old data from archived compact discs. I put the digital debris onto a duel layer DVD. It's sad that over twenty years of my digital existence don't even fill it up. Oh well, I suppose I learned how to hit the delete key early on. Here's proof that some twenty-year old recycled ASCII characters can be born again. I wrote this to high school friends and their baby daughter who then lived in Washington State. Actually, they still do. I got a letter from Lynne today explaining how they just graduated off their son. He wasn't born at the time of this letter!

---

May 20, 1987

Siyanco SOCP
Box # 168
APO, New York 09017

Dear Whitney, Lynne, & Joel,

Hey, I've been patiently waiting at my mailbox for two freekin' months! I don't blame you Whitney; it's not easy work being a baby. Lynne, you're also excused; mothers don't have a "breeze" either. But what about the funkin' hairy face? What's his excuse? (Gads, that was not a very nice way to open a letter.) Please allow me to start again.

Hello, everyone. I haven't heard from you lately, but that's certainly all right because I know how busy you all are. I hope that everything's, like, ‘mega’ in Kent, Washington. Additionally, I hope that your yard is now dry and the bird of paradise frequently flies there!

Well, for whatever it's worth, here's the latest. I don't really know which end's up! "So, what's new?", I hear them murmur. "Go suck eggs," I retort. No, no. Here's the story:

Today was my last day of work until June 27, 1987. I'm on vacation. Yippee, you yuppies! However, I won't leave for America for five more days. My company bought the ticket and it's like, JEDDAH - NEW YORK next Tuesday. I'll be flying up to Lebanon, NH that same day. My ticket does show NYC to Seattle on Monday June 8th. Let me find the flight number ... (it's here somewhere) … (I really should clean my desk) ... OK, here we are! ... It's CONTINENTAL 467. Wow, it appears to arrive at 10:00 pm. I didn't know it came in that late.

Now it's time for the warning. The Surgeon General has announced, “Planning vacations in advance has shown a positive correlation with an incidence of cancer in tests with laboratory animals." So this schedule is subject to change. I have a tip on a great teaching job in Orlando, Florida. It is possible, be it however small, that I might spend several days there. That could mean a whole new travel itinerary. But of course, you'll be the first to know.

Regardless of the exact time, please be sure to make the necessary preparation:

1. Stock the fridge with all kinds of beer.
2. Clean your underwear.
3. Be ready to welcome me with open arms.

All seriousness aside, I'm really looking forward to seeing you all. And I'll call you from NH to let you know exactly when it's "goin' down". Until then, best of health.

With love,

---

Labels: file archives, Joel, Saudi Arabia, travel planning

There are two ways to be rich. One is to make more ... while the other to want less. I recently saw this on a poster, in Los Angeles, CA no less.


I feel as though I've always been cautious with cash. The only time in my life I ever borrowed money was to go to college and, fortunately, student loans have very reasonable interest rates. Of course, working abroad when right out of college did not force me to live a normal lifestyle. I mean I paid off those college loans quickly with cash from my work in Saudi Arabia. In addition, my current, eleven year old, pickup truck, although purchased new, was paid for with traveller's cheques. Even the apartment from which I'm typing this blog was 'cash on the barrel head'. I just shake my head in amazement at just how much most people have paid for the privilege of borrowing money! I don't need to make much considering how much I've saved.

Even with the small things, I tend to scrimp. This whole new global warming paranoia has at least shined a spotlight on society's excessive consumption. Let's face it most people buy way too much crap. It's nice that my choices can now be discussed as being green ones.

Today, though I went to buy new batteries for our cordless house phone. The price ranged from $16 to $21 for those wrapped, three-battery packs. Then I saw that the entire new Sanyo cordless telephone was just $19. So, of course, I'm throwing away the old but perfectly usable one. I remember doing the exact same thing about three years ago. Sometimes, it just ain't easy being green. Wait, didn't Kermit, the frog, already say that?

Labels: money, opinions, Saudi Arabia, technology, telephone

Fifteen years can seem like a lifetime. I recently found the following information on an archive CD. This was research when I was working for the Higher Colleges of Technology in Dubai, UAE. In March of 1992, I was interested in getting a computer bulletin board system running at our college. There was no Internet available there at the time. Eventually I set up and operated a 8-modem, Major BBS/WorldGroup system. I fear that most people reading this blog entry may not even be aware of early days of computer communication.

I wish to publish the information today as a tribute to former Gulf-country sysops (system operators) who struggled with old-skool modems, uncooperative telcos, and the temperamental BBS software of the day.

---

G.C.C. Bulletin Boards (March 1992)

Area/ Name/ Number/ Speed/ (Special Hours)

Bahrain

Al-Bahrain/ Al-Madani BBS/ (973) 250454 *6/ 3-12-24-96
Al-Bahrain/ Flyers Wildcat! BBS/ (973) 336 721 / 3-12-24-96
Al-Bahrain/ Stray Cats BBS / (973) 277997 / 3-12-24-96


Saudi Arabia

Abqaiq/ Abqaiq B.B.S./ (03) 572 2197 *3/ 12-24
Abqaiq/ Abqaiq B.B.S./ (03) 572 3884 / 3-12-24
Abqaiq/ Air Ecosse/ (03) 572 1653 / 3-12-24
Qatif/ Ali Mutab B.B.S./ (03) 856 2720 / 3-12
Riyadh / B.E.S.T. B.B.S. / (01) 478 6703 / 3-12-24
Alkhobar / Bulldog B.B.S./ (03) 894 8974 / 3-12-24
Dhahran / D.P.C.S. Bytenet/ (03) 873 7852 / 3/12
Dhahran/ Darkstar B.B.S./ (03) 873 7851 / 3-12
Dhahran / Darkstar II / (03) 873 7853 / 3-12
Dhahran / Desert Boots B.B.S/ (03) 873 9241 / 3-12-24/ (17-00 to 07-00)
Jeddah/ Elyas R.B.B.S./ (02) 683 3120 *2/ 3-12
Al Khobar / Express B.B.S./ (03) 898 3980 / 3-12-24
Hofuf / Hofuf Air/ (03) 586 4382 3-12-24
Al Khobar/ Jeraisy B.B.S. / (03) 894 7394 *4/ 3-12-24
Dammam / PC-Soft (PC-NET)/ (03) 834 4413 / 3-12-24
Riyadh/ Riyadh PC Board / (01) 464 4079 *1/ 3-12-24
Jeddah / Taurus B.B.S./ (02) 667 2353 / 3-12-24
Dhahran / Viking B.B.S./ (03) 878 3887 / 3/12/24/ (21-00 to 08-00)
Yanbu / Wildcat #1 B.B.S./ (04) 396 0285 / 3-12/ (13-00 to 20-00 Sat-Thu)
Yanbu / Wildcat #2 B.B.S./ (04) 396 0285 / 3-12/ (22-00 to 11-00 Fri-Wed)


United Arab Emirates

Abu Dhabi/ Sphinx Wildcat! / (971) 2 5005202/ 3-12-24
Dubai / The First Wildcat BBS/ (971) 4 5005401/ 3-12-24
Dubai/ The Lonestar Wildcat/ (971) 4 5005403/ 3-12-24

---

Labels: Bahrain, BBS, Dubai, Saudi Arabia

Combine years of owning computers with librarian-type tendencies, and you've got me figured out. Of course, I've been thinking lots about my father lately. I had him involved in email at the beginning of the millennium but then the hotmail interface changed and he sort of got lost.

During the majority of my years abroad, there was no Internet. In order to send words, we struggled by post. At the present time that era seems a bit romantic. If the mail had no disruptions, it'd take more than two weeks to get to North America from the Middle East. The response time was similar; therefore, there was at least a month turn-around time. Because phone calls could be prohibitively expensive, I was forced to get into the habit of corresponding by letter. Here's a note I sent to my father just about twenty years ago. I found it saved on an old CD entitled, 'Archives'.

---

January 21, 1987
Taif, Saudi Arabia

Dear Dad,

Greetings! As you may be able to tell, I am now using a different word processor. So much of what makes this program great can't be seen on the typed page. It allows you to look through a whole disk worth of files to match an exact word. If I want to know the first letter that I mentioned "AUCTION" in, then all I do is type that word, and it'll search through all 70 odd letters I've got on my correspondence disk! It's really amazing!

As you might be able to tell, I am practicing as much with this letter, as sending useful or important information. You might even say you're my first guinea pig!

Oh, before I forget, I wanted to tell you that you won't be getting anymore bills from Keene State College. I have written and had my address changed so my student loan statements come here. I have to plan so that it'll be paid off by this summer. I might as well send the check from here. Speaking about student loans, you haven't been getting any statements from Sugar River Savings bank, have you? My payments are forwarded there automatically by my Seattle Bank. However, I've told the Newport bank that I want monthly statements SENT HERE. They screwed up my account several months ago and I haven't heard anything since. Give 'em hell, if need be.

I just got your letter today explaining that you are "really getting it" as far as snow is concerned. Great! Wish I were there to play in it.

Things here are O.K. Today ended another hectic week at school. Today some classes had their "student day". So, all the teachers were off, except me. Oh, I work soooo hard!

How is everything in Wendell? It sure is a shame to hear that you're back to work with no chance for vacation for a while. (If you could see me, I'd be frowning.)

I've got my vacation time all planned. In March I do go to Rome from the 19th to the 27th. I might also see Venice with all the canals and such. Anyway, around May 26th, I will be flying back to New York. I get a ticket from the company to Seattle (my point of hire). But I want to spend two weeks with you. Get ready to stock up the refrigerator: I eat like a horse! I'll have to be back at work here at the end of June.

Oops, I'm running out of room. So that's all for now. Take care and be good, etc. I love you.

---

Labels: file archives, Saudi Arabia

I really don't think my generation does Christmas cards with such dedication as folks my parents' age. I have never maintained a large list for a yearly mailing. Even during pre-Internet holiday seasons, I never bought large quantities of cards, stamps, and envelopes. I suppose this behaviour could've simply been my own.

After all, I was overseas for many years right after college. I recall festive cards being banned in Saudi because of their significance in a Christian holiday. People of faiths other than Islam cannot practice their religions in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Given the regime's lack of respect for human rights, I will leave it to your imagination to decide why many Western governments count that dictatorship as a friend in the Middle East.

This year I didn't even send a typical mixed CD to the few friends. This was a small habit for a few years. I guess I'll offer a tiny e-version of greetings to everyone who stumbles across these words. The photo was taken during an unusally early snow. It's the Holy Trinity Church right next door. Simply click the thumbnail in this entry and make sure your computer speakers are on.

Labels: Christmas, opinions, Saudi Arabia

Monday

OK another day is almost finished. School was usual. TRON.
the movie, came today and it's a good copy. There were no letters
that arrived.

I had to go get my picture taken as my passport will run
out during the Haj vacation. Bill has said that can go down (to
the US Embassy in Jeddah) this Wednesday rather than teaching.
Delbert will take my class and I shall take a company car.
I'll write about that at a later time.

Update: No contract news. Weather Report: Fine with a high
in the 80's F. I have reserved a ticket to Italy today but
without Jay.

Nothing else, now. Just a waste of disk space. DSH

---

Yesterday's old image prompted me to look on my archive CD. Back in 90's I copied junk from 360, 720, and 1440 floppy disks in order to store the data more permanently. As I was searching through the folders, I stumbled across the journal entry above. It was written in Taif, Saudi Arabia on my first PC. It was saved in WordStar format, so I had to do a bit of editing to the copy pasted above.

Although I've not reached the three year mark in blogging, I once created daily journal files twenty years ago.

Oh my.

Labels: Saudi Arabia

The world was analog when I was a baby. Probably the largest change that has occurred in the last four and a half decades is the development of digital.

Here, I'm not thinking only in terms of photography for that's a shift in paradigm that's obvious but didn't begin in earnest until after the new millennium. I am talking about a whole mind-set. The plots of some movies from the eighties and before would fall apart in a remake. Imagine not being able to get in contact with someone! Now, we'd have explain how the cell phone batteries were dead. In another example, the phrase, a mixed tape, sounds like an anachronism.

What made me think of this topic was I am readying this week's final exam. It was easy to find the exam copies I've used back through the late 90's. They are all in C:>My Documents\MS Word\BCIT\COMM Exams\. I remember how in 1985 the English Department at the Taif Ordinance Corps Center and School didn't have a PC. We used typewriters and that's the epitome of analog.

Labels: analog, Saudi Arabia, technology

It seems as though I can find time on the weekend to scan a half dozen or so, old photos. This way, over the course of a few years, I'll get a representative selection in An Old Box in the Attic on Flickr. Here's one that I put online yesterday.



It was taken on the island of Bahrain in the Persian Gulf. I worked there from 1989 to 1991 for the Bahrain Defense Force. This shows an old boat, but if you look in the distance behind it, you will see the a bit of bridge between Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. The 25-kilometer, King Fahd Causeway was built for the four-lane highway. It was opened in November of 1986

Labels: Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, scanned

I really love my briefcase. It is hard Fiberglas and says Echolac near the handle. Now, unfortunately it is starting to fall apart. There's a hinge that's broken. It's tired and worn and I've had it for what seems like half of forever.

In fact, I cannot remember exactly when I may have purchased it. I think I had it in Bahrain, and I never bought anything of value with inflated dinars. It's possible I got it during the year I worked in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. Or perhaps I got it for my very first job in Kuwait! The briefcase definitely was with me in the 1980's.

My briefcase is useful because it is roomy. It's my desk away from home. At any particular time there may be several dozen markers. a stapler, and ten pounds of paper in it. There are also bits of my past. It has a number of pockets and places inside that I've never cleaned even though I once had a major coffee-Thermos leak. Today, I set the trusty accessory down before going into work. Then, near the door, I saw something on the floor. It picked it up. Honestly, this is a copy of the receipt from 1991 which had fallen out:

Labels: Bahrain, briefcase, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, scanned

I seldom meet up with anybody in MS Messenger. Yet, yesterday I did run into former high school classmate, and fellow teacher, Candy Winn Fuller. It was great chatting online. During this time, I realized how great is it to have access to so many of my pics online. I was able to sign in to Flickr, search by tags, select a photo, download the appropriately-sized version, and forward the copy to Candy. It all happened as I was chatting in the matter of a minute.



I must continue scanning old photos like this one from 20 years ago. Jay and I drove around until we found some camels to entertain. It was in the desert near Taif, Saudi Arabia. I did a stand-up comedy routine but they weren't very amused. Camels have little sense of humour.

Labels: Saudi Arabia

In yesterday's blog entry, I mentioned finding ancient pottery shards in the desert sands near Dammam, Saudi Arabia. Here are a few which I originally picked up in 1989.

The following is the beginning of a chapter from the US Library of Congress on Saudi Arabia's Pre-Islamic Period:

"The bodies of water on either side of the Arabian Peninsula provided relatively easy access to the neighboring river-valley civilizations of the Nile and the Tigris-Euphrates. Once contact was made, trading could begin, and because these civilizations were quite rich, many goods passed between them. The coastal people of Arabia were well-positioned to profit from this trade . . ."

Labels: Saudi Arabia, souvenirs

A few weeks ago I had to type a message in MS Word. It seemed strange to write something that would actually make it to paper. You see, Mr. Nicholas Williams is a scholarly older gentleman who has managed to avoid getting an email address. Not many have been able to hold out for the last decade, but Nick has. I licked a stamp and sent the envelope to Washington, DC.

I taught at TINS for a year before the 80's became the 90's. Nick worked there and during time off he even taught me 'sharding'. That meant going searching for pieces of pottery. The desert of the area would turn up bits left behind from trade routes of the past. I still have a dish containing bits of these ancient vessels.

Then, I left Dammam in Saudi Arabia to teach in Bahrain. Seventeen years ago today, I laboured to write this message to Nick. I surely was once quite wordy. Now, I spend my days pestering students to write concise sentences in well-designed paragraphs. The following is neither concise nor well-designed. More importantly, I have no idea about what most of it means.

---

Building 505
Road 2625, Block 326
Gudeibiya, BAHRAIN
February 3, 1989

Dear Nick,

More than two-thirds of the letters that I've sent off so far have been "clones". Word processors are real time savers. I generally create data in the F.L.O.P. format. This is computerese term, of my own coining, which stands for the Form-Letter Operating Principle. However, this tried-and-true method still does require the fastidious vigilance of proofreading. For example, I recently licked an envelope destined for a certain Mr. Jon Wicklund that ended with an insincere, "Lots of Love." To allay your consternation, you'll be pleased to learn that this particular narrative is being hand crafted.

Let me be one of the first to welcome you back to TINS. I am sure Naughty M probably has already offered abundant welcomes, perhaps accompanied by a half-baked demonstration of earnestness. Even her sidekick and bakemate, Jimeela, may have returned. But I'm sure if you've patronized the TINS bus to the refuse-refuge of Khobar, you've heard copious collections of complimentary colloquy. Yet, even after all of this, I'd really like to add my two, or three, cents worth.

You most probably did not receive my last letter before your departure to the States. At least this is the impression I got when talking to our mutual, spiritual consultant. I tried to convince the good father that my failure to phone him at the RSNF prior to vacation, was just an instance of neglect. Obviously it wasn't my intention to obscure my whereabouts, was it? It mattered not. He finagled his way to the General Dynamics office and left word (his own not THE) for me to contact him. Regardless, if I can count on you to pray, be it not for his departure to Bahrain. The island isn't really big enough for the both of us! (As you can see, this letter is not for casual dispersal.)

School is really peachy keen. I mean, we finally got started last week, and my boys are joys. I pre-tested the lot of forty, ability grouped the bunch, and skimmed off the best ten for my class. They are gentlemanly, inventive, dedicated, hardworking, and most importantly, always awake. And with the mishmash of curriculum and the seven-odd books we're studying, the teacher is required to actually teach. It's not a today-is-Wednesday-third-period-so-we-are-on-page-sixty-seven teaching environment. Please share this with Mr. Kline; I think we both have developed an affinity for those hyphenated, say-it-all-at-once type adjectives. On the home front, I don't see how things could be much better. Something about "matches made in heaven" comes to mind. But of course, we all know that God is the inspiration for modern technology and surely uses a gigantic disposable, butane lighter. Still, each morning seems most sunny after the warmth of the previous night.

I am running out of time and low on endurance. So, I think I'll end this one. Stay tuned for my next letter which might include my perceptions of the Bahraini culture. If you wish a glimpse at some of the basic concepts before its arrival, just ask Roy, the resident cultural specialist, for some details. I'm interested in some TINS gossip, so please add my name to those thousands of correspondi (Latin?) that you churn out each week. Believe me, a letter from you, to castrate an old cliche, would be welcomed with opened eyes.

Regards,

---

Labels: Bahrain, file archives, Saudi Arabia

Earlier this week, I was saying here how we've been in Canada approaching a decade. As I've got this growing online reservoir of recollections, people searching for data often stop by to ask questions. After a few more years of story-telling, I'll be nearer a complete autobiography; it just won't be in sequential order. Here's an email note I received out of the blue from a stranger this week:

---

Dennis,

I see you taught at TINS in Saudi Arabia too. I was there 12 years ago. Meanwhile I've been in Germany and am now back in Dhahran in KSA. I left the medical school at Arabian Gulf University on Bahrain after just 4 months. Terrible place. The worst ELT department I've ever encountered. That is apart from the students. They're mainly Saudi girls. Some the most gifted students I ever taught.

Anyway, over there I was living down the road from the BDF base near Riffa and heard that they run English courses. I'd be really grateful if you could let me know who I could contact there. I'd love to get back to Bahrain some time. I'm eagerly waiting for my exit/re-entry visa so I can go over for the weekend.

---

Labels: blogging, Saudi Arabia, sharing, technology

I just sent an email to a high school classmate whom I've only met a few times since graduation in 1977. I was mentioning how nice it is to be in Canada with the Christmas season approaching.

Even when working in the Persian Gulf, I was always able to celebrate December 25th. In Kuwait, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates people were always respectful of the holiday. The toughest place was Saudi Arabia. I heard rumours that Christian Filipinos were arrested and flogged for just selling Christmas cards. It's hard to know if this actually happened or if it was just one of many local urban myths. Most things don't make it into the newspapers so information via rumours is a way of life.

Public places, such as shopping malls, cannot put up decorations that show any other than the state religion in Saudi Arabia. Yet, much of expat life takes place in housing compounds where people reside. In the confines of these secret areas people can do just about whatever they desire.

Click the graphic to load a PDF copy of a publication that I made for a Christmas program when teaching at the Saudi Royal Navy in Dammam.

Labels: Christmas, Saudi Arabia

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Dammam, Saudi Arabia
December 9, 1988

Dear Dad,

I suppose I owe you a letter. I guess that little Christmas Newsletter would not count as a personal note. As I think I scribbled on the back, I shall be leaving Dammam soon. I am going to take up teaching for the Bahraini Defense Force in January. All this is coming about very quickly. (And I haven't signed their contract yet.)

But in a matter of several short weeks, I am flying to Bahrain (a twenty minute flight). This occurs on Wednesday December 28th after I get through with work. How's that for working up to the last minute? Actually, my official contract expired today. The navy uses the Hijra (Moslem) calendar which is 11 days shorter than our Gregorian one. But I gave my thirty day notice on December first, and offered to work the additional two weeks. That thousand dollars will buy a video deck, TV and assorted apartment furnishings. And the time frame worked out well, as it will give me a bit more than a week between jobs.

In Bahrain, I won't be living on military quarters. Instead, they give a monthly housing allowance. So, this will be only the second time in my life that I've hunted for my own dwelling. I am rather excited about the idea of getting out into the "real world" again. These military contracts in Saudi do not offer you the chance to make any of your own decisions. Transportation, food, housing and even spare-time activities are limited to the military's whims. But soon, I'll be forced into the cold reality of self determination.

The pay in Bahrain is about $400/month less than I am earning here. But money is not my most pressing concern now that I've paid every debt. I am more interested in professional advancement and job satisfaction, neither of which are possible at this Navy institute. You might not believe how screwed up things can be here. In the last year class sizes have doubled, and staff has halved. The supervisor is a super weirdo and mentally unbalanced. And my teaching duties have been mainly an attempt to keep tired cadets awake throughout the morning. It has its moments of fun, but it's a whole lot less enjoyable than a year ago.

Bahrain is considered the "Pearl of the Gulf" for a number of reasons. They have a much more open society there. Passport and immigration laws are not as strict and one can enter and leave as often as one wishes. Christian churches are prevalent and attended. There is no prohibition on things such a liquor, pork, or movie theaters. Women even drive cars, travel unveiled, and hold down jobs. I am looking forward to escaping from this crazy job situation to enter a place where life is less controlled.

I don't know my address yet, but I will send it along as soon as I do know it. In case of emergency, I suppose I could be contracted at the Bahrain offices of General Dynamics. You could dial overseas direct to: (966) 530-023 or (966) 530-024. Remember the day starts and finishes eight hours earlier than it does for you. And Thursday and Fridays are our weekends here.

I hope things are O.K. for you. Have you had the chance to play with the snow plow yet. Winter should be coming along nicely now and the wood stove might need stoking right now! If you find the need to write, my mail will be forwarded to Bahrain for several months, so don't use that as an excuse. Behave and stay well.

Your son,

---

Labels: file archives, Saudi Arabia

Many visitors might not be following my recent, scanned uploads on Flicker, so I thought I'd take this one chance to post one photo I happen to like. These kids were taken when I worked in Taif, Saudi Arabia.

It reminds me that I should shoot fewer vistas and include more people. These two kids twenty years on have probably finished college by now.

Yesterday during my class at BCIT, some students asked me how old I was. I'd given them a modified copy of my resume and we discussed the fact, in North America people seldom directly include an age. Yet, it really isn't too hard to get out a calculator and figure it out. After all it's easy to guess by looking at education and job experience. I suppose one can actually guess by looking at the person's face too. (I've never been great at guessing peoples' ages though.) I would like to venture, however, that I have neckties older than some adults in my present class!

Labels: Saudi Arabia

There might not be anything exceedingly impressive about the picture to the right. But believe me, it once amazed me.

It was a 256 color, 320 x 200 pixel .bmp file which took up the whole screen. I found the original intact on a historical backup CD. In order to post it here, I needed to convert the 64K file to .jpg format.

I first saw this colourful frog as a demo on a computer monitor in Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia in February of 1988. I couldn't believe the stunning impact of the new VGA graphics cards. To me, the screen was just like looking at a photograph. I was almost speechless.

You see, prior to that time we were stuck with lowly IBM CGA cards. There were some Hercules cards with higher resolution but they were in boring monochrome.

Now, I see how photography has turned digital and how many images never even hit paper. I'm sure if I'd known that one day I would be saving my own images like this for viewing on a computer screen, I'd have openly wept.

Labels: computers, Saudi Arabia

I arrived for work in Taif, Saudi Arabia two decades ago.

Labels: Saudi Arabia

Today, I'll administer a midterm exam to my current ESL class. As close as I can calculate, this is the twenty-fourth time I've done this at the British Columbia Institute of Technology. I taught my first Burnaby course in the autumn of 1997.

That seems like a lot but it's more frightening for me to think how many students I've taught over the past two-dozen years!

I ran to find a photo of a past class. Rather than going all the way back to 1981, I found one that was taken toward the other end of that decade. The class picture below was taken in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. The group of thirteen students were in the Royal Saudi Naval Forces in 1988.

I spent a year there before heading for a job across the causeway in Bahrain.

Labels: Saudi Arabia, students

Billie Holiday, jazz legend, died exactly six days before I was born. She was younger than I am now. I cannot remember exactly when I first heard her but I do have directory of mp3's that bear her name. Thankfully, I caught an hour program on the Biography Channel. I learned a great deal more.

What an amazing life story! A main theme expressed in the hour program was not to make her into a victim; as she made her own choices which involved drugs, booze, and destructive relationships. I would NOT have learned much from the official website bio.

Let's sanitize the truth, shall we? When I taught in Saudi Arabia, the young cadets always admitted, "America is too free." They were attempting to tell me that they'd have trouble exercising self-control in America. In the 'Kingdom', a Wahabi regime keeps vices restricted in order to prevent individuals from having to learn and exercise personal restraint.

If those boys only knew how truly similar some aspects of life in modern America are. They don't know about the Disney-ification of media in the United States. In many ways, US society's avoidance of adult themes in the name of moral virtues, is a more insidious form of restriction. The self-imposed censorship is promoted from the same incorrect belief; namely, that average citizens are not able to deal with the truths of the human condition.

We could face occasionally unpleasant facts and grow up a bit. We could handle reality and maybe learn a little something in the process.

Labels: music, opinions, Saudi Arabia

I had a message in response to yesterday's letter to my father. Although there were a number of differences between 1986 and the present time, it commented on the size of my waistline. Thanks for your two cents, Don! I thought I'd try to see what I looked like when I wore size-34 pants. Here's a scanned image from Taif at the same time as that letter:

Labels: Don, Saudi Arabia

This blog has been a tad historical lately, hasn't it? Wait, here's more! I was trying to organize my CD/DVD archive discs and I came across a directory of files written in 1986. These were typed on my very first IBM compatible in Taif, Saudi Arabia. Originally saved on a 360K floppy disk, these keystrokes were made 18 years ago in WordStar. My current copy of Office 2003 opened them with ease. Here's a letter I sent to my father:

---

Siyanco SOCP 06
Box R-168
APO, New York 09017

December 18th 6:30am

Dear Dad,

I'm sure that this letter won't get to you before Christmas.
The APO mail DOES slow during this time of year. It may take
several weeks to get there. But that's nothing. I just got a
wedding invitation from a girl in Sunapee. She sent it "interna-
tional mail" and included only 22 cents postage. It took three
months and one day to arrive!

This is the 'thirteenth' computer letter that I've sent
to you. Although you won't be able to tell, I'm writing this on a
new version of word-processing program. This WordStar improved
version cost me $1.33 as a copying fee. It retails for $170 in
the States!

I haven't done many interesting things lately. You know how
life is: Get up, go to work, and sleep. Oh yeah, I forgot the
eating part. Even though I haven't been pigging-out, I must buy
size 34' pants, AGAIN! That's O.K., I look better with a little
meat on me. (How trim are you?) Next week, on Christmas day,
there's an Interdenominational Christmas Service at the McDonnell-
Douglas Company (the aircraft people). In the afternoon I have
volunteered to bring a few company employees to Jeddah to catch
their flight for vacation time. Why, not? It's better than
sitting around here all afternoon.

A whole lot of people left from here yesterday. There are
many people who like to be home during the Christmas season. I
would too, but I am looking forward to vacation in the spring.
Maybe prepare for a teaching job in the Seattle area? See, you
will be able to take a trip out the the PAC NORTHWEST to see me.
It really is a nice place.

My car is sitting outside with a little problem. Last week
my battery was dead. At first I thought I had left on the
parking lights or something stupid like that. But upon closer
inspection, I discovered that the adjustment for the brake light
switch was off. Essentially the circuit was open all the time.
Hence, no juice. My Delco Freedom Battery is now all charged up
and ready to reinstall. Isn't it fun owning old junks? Oh, I
forgot, you don't anymore. Still, I wish they made new cars like
that old, blue Dodge Dart that we had for a while. (Back
before they'd screwed up the old slant 6's.) Why do people think
that cars are something more than t r a n s p o r t a t i o n ?

Enough editorial content, I have got to get ready for
breakfast. Just wanted to say "hi". Get ready for 1987. (It
sounds like something out of a Science Fiction book.) I love
you. Your son,

---

Labels: file archives, Saudi Arabia

When Service Pack 2 for XP did not automatically show up on my computer yesterday, I could wait no longer and took the process into my own hands. The 272 megabyte file took about twenty minutes to download. Then, it took more than fourty-five minutes to install and longer if you count the disk defrag with which I finished up the installation. All went smoothly and I watched as thousands of system files were replaced.

I couldn't help but think back to my first IBM compatible purchased in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia about 19 years ago! It sported 640K of RAM, two 360K floppy disks (rather than a hard disk), and the 8088 cooked along at 4.77 MHz. The real point for today's entry though is that it ran good old MS-DOS 2.1. In those days, only command.com (17,792 bytes) plus two hidden files were required in order to boot up. My goodness, Bill, we've come a long ways.

Labels: computers, Hardware, Saudi Arabia, Windows

I just used Microsoft Word to type a personal letter! I cannot remember the last time that I wrote to someone on paper. I will pop the envelop in the mailbox tomorrow and it will zoom towards Washington DC at the speed of a postal worker.

I met Mr. Nick Williams when I worked in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. He introduced me to a type of archaeology: hunting for shards of ancient pottery. The letter is in response to his Christmas card. Am I late, or what?

Labels: Christmas, Saudi Arabia

I did check a CD ROM and found some very old, word-processing files. It's no longer in doubt: MS Word in 2004 is able to read Wordstar from 1986. This just goes to prove how the world revolves: Here's a journal entry that I created seventeen and a half years ago. It's not only from a pre-blogging era, but even before my computer had a hard disk. Duel 5 1/4 inch, bendable floppies worked just fine, thank you. Reading the message did remind me of all sorts of things about working at the Taif Army Ordnance Corps School though.

I had almost forgotten that Saturday is the first day of the work week in Saudi Arabia.

I remember the infamous US Defense Language Institute's books.

I do not remember about any references to cherries and custard in those books.

I fondly recall watching videos and driving my old Pontiac.

I cannot remember working on a computer without a color monitor.

I certainly do remember the bank statements from the Gulf!

---

Saturday, July 5, 1986

This is the very first entry. We'll see if the intrigue of an
electronic diary keeps me writing on a regular basis? Today was
the tiring beginning of another school week. We struggled
through the 1208 book. I think that we're finished; I do hope
so, at least. I'd taught enough about "cherry and custard pie"!

This afternoon Jay came to the room. We always watch a
video from the library. After that, we removed everything from
the truck of my wonderful old junk Pontiac. I wanted to stop the
shimmy but alas it didn't work.

This evening, I'd like to see about a color monitor at the MSK
computer store downtown. I probably won't. Mail sent: Grammy.
Mail received: absolutely none. I shouldn't expect anything
until next week's bank statement.

That's all for today.

---

Saudi Arabia seemed most proud of her modern new cities. Yet,
important historical artifacts, especially those that were pre-Islamic,
were often swept under the carpet. This abandoned desert village
was not far from the city of Taif. (It does look a bit like the Mars
rover project found life on Mars, eh?)

Labels: file archives, Saudi Arabia

In 1985, I was not the man I am now. As simple proof, this picture was taken 40 kilograms ago! Note the Saudi Arabian plates on the Pontiac. It was a car I had when working in Taif. It had a 'history' and was probably one of the only cars in the Kingdom that didn't have factory-installed air conditioning; it didn't have any! On the day of the photo, Jay and I were exploring the empty beaches south of Jeddah. On another trip, I think I burnt out the engine ...

Labels: cars, Saudi Arabia

What does it mean when the media is using songs from my youth for blatant consumerism? It must be I'm getting old. I know well the music of twenty-five years ago that's creeping into lots of today's TV advertisements.

I think it's cute that Devo's tune is now Swiffer It.

Yet there are limits. I really don't think Queen's, We Are The Champions, should be pushing Viagra!

It rather makes we wonder what product 50 cent will be selling in 2028!

---

Speaking of old: Here's my first 8086/DOS machine. (We used to say IBM clone.) It had two 5 1/4" floppy disks and a CGA monitor. The picture was taken in my BOQ in Taif, Saudi Arabia in 1986 when I taught at the Army Ordnance Corp.

Labels: computers, Hardware, music, Saudi Arabia

I caught a move, entitled Summer Lovers, on TV last night. It was showing on a channel we get called Drive-In Classics. I remember it on VHS tape copied from Laser Disc when we worked in the 1980's in Saudi Arabia.

It has Daryl Hannah (who was frightfully young) and a French gal (who died in a car accident in 1989).

Some reviewers call it an exploitation flick but I think it captures a time and the fascination when visiting a new place. The music is retro and fun. Overall, the movie has held up well for being over 20 years old.

Labels: movies, Saudi Arabia