I am not back, just visiting - coz I miss you all so much :-( (Jun 10, 2008)
*looks at the calendar* It has been so so long since I dipped in here, I almost feel like an illegal alien *Police song *

I suppose I really ought to be stating the quo. What am I up to? What could possibly be so mesmerising in my RL that I can all of a sudden be peeled away from my beloved friends and support network on hootoo. How ungrateful can a person be? ... and no more badges, neever!!

Well, it all started to come undone in the summer of 2006...
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This Christmas... (Dec 24, 2007)
"... mend a quarrel. Seek out a forgotten friend. Write a love letter. Share some treasure. Give a soft answer. Encourage youth. Keep a promise. Find the time. Forgive an enemy. Listen. Apologise if you were wrong. Think first of someone else. Be kind. Be gentle. Laugh a little. Laugh a little more. Express your gratitude. Gladden the heart of a child. Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth. Speak your love. Speak it again. Speak it out still once again." - anonymous


This is the text of the card I received today from my brother. He has sent us each a picture book that he has had published, of our summer all together in Lebanon. He has called it the 'M...' Family, Summer 2007, a picture story - it is a large coffee table publication, and is dedicated to our mum and dad for insisting we come spend time together in our homeland. On the first page is a photo of my father with the still-wicked glint in his rheumy eyes, on the last is one of my mother, baseball cap on backwards and hands crossed over with fingers askew á la gangster with street cred .

So, with my heart full, sad and happy all at once, I wish all my hootoo friends, who have sustained me and my questionable sanity through two years now, a wonderful Christmas, peace in your hearts and a smile on your lips. I hope that however your Christmas is made up: alone, together, mentally fraught or just still, it brings you a moment of calm and self-assurance.





Merry Christmas, all

and a key to your chimney for
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Today... (Oct 13, 2007)
... my dear dear father completes his eightieth year. I can't express how happy and proud I am that he has made it this far. This is a man who has lived several lifetimes in one, has achieved so much, continues to inspire his children and his man grandchildren. His great granddaughters will have him to look up to as soon as they are old enough to understand his legacy.

Happy Birthday, Dad


W
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I have succumbed to EBay... (Oct 4, 2007)
... much as I hate the thought of it (man, but it takes a lot time to get stuff ready to sell) I have finally succumbed and opened a seller's account on EBay.

The purpose is manifold. I have signed our up for a trip to Macchu Picchu in October and it is going to cost an arm, a leg and a couple of toes as is the birthday party has decided she wants come March. Apart from that, as you all know, we downsized in November from a 4 bedroomed house to 2 bedrooms and a cupboard.

To cap it all, we start demolishing the garage sometime - don't know exactly when - but we got our planning permission in August, and knowing Trog, he'll just turn up one day with the boys and a sledgehammer. Then there is all the stuff he drags home from jobs in the more affluent part of town. In the past these have been Freecycled, which I will continue to do for most of it, but there is occasionally the occasional item ... like the three butchers' blocks on wheels that he brought home on Tuesday

So. Butchers blocks, trashy novels, kids clothes, toys, odds and bobs - some from us, some from clients and some from my cousin. How do I make sure that I don't mess this up? Any advice from you seasoned EBayers out there?

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The last three years... (Sep 25, 2007)
Don't bother with this peeps, it is just me. Work in progress

Go ahead and unsub
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Snake eating its tail (Sep 19, 2007)


here we go again:

http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2007/09/desperate_enemi.php

This one is a distant relative of ours

Antoine Ghanem, RIP



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(34 replies, Latest reply: Sep 25, 2007)

Augustly in Lalaland (Jul 29, 2007)
Off we go on our jaunts madnesswards again. We leave this afternoon, are back 1st September (all being well).

We have a by-election (to replace 2 of the most recently assassinated Christian MPs) and the presidential election campaign to get through - hopefully the Nahr el Bared conflict will be resolved soon. The army has lost 120 soldiers in 10 weeks already. Nasty state of affairs.

That's me done. Over and out. Hold the fort and keep the natives civil, you guys, willya? .
Wilma
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Slice of paradise (May 28, 2007)


We're home
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Why is this so important? (Feb 24, 2007)
Don't ask me why but I always aspired to be Matt.

"Who?"

I hear you say in astonishment. Well, Matt. You know, the guy who danced around the world on the internet...

"Never heard of him..."

You say. Well, OK, here... Meet Matt:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNF_P281Uu4

http://www.wherethehellismatt.com/about.html

Except I really wish he had a more varied wardrobe, those bermuda shorts got old pretty quickly (not to mention the fancy footwork )

I still can't work out why someone like me could hanker after such a laid back, worrynone lifestyle. It just ain't me, y'know? Does anyone else find him an enigma? My mum thinks he's a goodfernuffink wastrel
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Is this it, then? (Jan 23, 2007)
Does civil war in Lebanon appear to be on the tables, then?

http://today.reuters.com/news/artic...l&WTmodLoc=NewsArt-C2-NextArticle-2

How very very discouraging.




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(72 replies, Latest reply: Jun 30, 2007)

We witch you (Dec 23, 2006)
... a melly Christmas, one and all, all the way from peculiar Lebanon teetering on the brink of civil war... I can confirm that south of Beirut is now a rather interesting carpark effect stretching all the way to the southern border and that my compatriots are still as split and confuzzled as to how best to enter the 21st century... and no, we are not quite there yet

We arrived at 4am last Saturday and have spent the first week bouncing between doctors for my rather unwell hubby who has now been diagnosed with anaemia as well as the itenerant gout and hypercalcemia and my very poorly dad who has barely made it through a nasty, nasty gum infection that nearly had him singing with the angels this Christmas because it totally boogered his heart valves. He has had all his teeth pulled out and is pretty miserable. He was very proud to have almost made it to 80 with all his own teeth we are just happy to still have him with us.

So, in the spirit of gratitude for the blessings we *do* have, Merry Christmas to all my hootoo friends. I hope 2007 brings some sanity and clear thinking to the world. Wouldn't it be nice to put the 'Middle East' crisis behind us once and for all?



W
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Here we go again... 1982 revisited? (Jul 13, 2006)
http://www.naharnet.com/domino/tn/N...rm&9797084A965C378CC22571AA001EB2AD

So much for the laissez faire policy of deliberatly not having an airforce or naval force and a symbolic excuse for an army in order to avoid confrontation.



I can't think of anything coherent to say right now. All I can think of is this trivial stupid detail: how do we get to Lebanon in ten days if the airport has no runways?


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(484 replies, Latest reply: Feb 8, 2011)

Wilma's lurker outting thread (May 23, 2006)
Come out, come out, wherever you are


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Funny (!) (Mar 17, 2006)
Posting emails received that have made me
W
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Oh dear... (Feb 5, 2006)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4682560.stm

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/printable.asp?art_ID=21971&cat_ID=2


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(34 replies, Latest reply: Jul 23, 2006)