Winter Fun

for a good cause. On February 12th 2011, for reasons I can’t fully recall, I participated in a fund-raising event at Stevens Pass.  When I say, “I can’t fully recall”, what I really mean is that I do not know what possessed me to register for this event.  I remember *when* I learned about the… Continue reading Winter Fun

Kubla-Ross

MAJOR WHINE BELOW – YOU’VE BEEN WARNED I thought I’d managed to make it thru all stages to “Acceptance” – I was wrong. Maybe it is just cabin-fever. Maybe it is PMS. Maybe it is the fact that this “quarantine” is a joke – as the students are congregating in large groups, the dorm sponsored… Continue reading Kubla-Ross

Don’t drink the water

I’m not referring to Cairo – the water here tastes like you are drinking from a swimming pool due to all the chlorine, but it is SAFE. I’m talking about the multi-million dollar, state-of-the-art New Campus.  Just out on e-mail: Water Quality Issue on AUC New Campus As part of AUC’s routine monitoring and testing… Continue reading Don’t drink the water

Mafeesh Pork!

In an unprecedented (and almost definitely ill-advised) move, the Egyptian government decided that the way to prevent swine flu in the country was to kill all the pigs.  I am simultaneously stunned and not about this knee-jerk over-reaction. These actions demonstrate a distinct lack of: Understanding of the virus and its epidemiology There have been… Continue reading Mafeesh Pork!

Bassily Hall

We now “live” on a huge state-of-the-art campus in the middle of the desert.  That is what the PR people tell us.  I’m still not sure what state they mean, nor which art.  And it is not just the whiny, soon-to-be-leaving profs that are wondering about the choices for this move. All that, however is… Continue reading Bassily Hall

Chuckles in Cairo

I posted these pictures elsewhere, and got a great response. This TRULY is Cairo – in all its glory. Be prepared to be amazed. In the supermarket: So maybe there IS truth in advertising…. Or, things you see while walking down the street: Nice, family-friendly billboard (advertising a comedy movie) So THAT’S how chandeliers get… Continue reading Chuckles in Cairo

Things piled in trucks

Today’s commute had an unusual number of unusual items piled in trucks. Things piled in trucks is not unusual in Egypt. The piles are often WELL BEYOND what most (read: Western) would consider prudent. Still, life goes on and most of it doesn’t fall out of the truck. Today’s list of “Things Piled in Trucks”… Continue reading Things piled in trucks

Adventures in Stupidity – part 2

Transport-stupidity After my nearly-aneurysm-inducing meeting with the Bb specialists, I decided it was time to go home. New Campus is in the middle-of-nowhere-Sahara-Desert. My commute is between 1 hour 15 minutes and 2 hours 30 minutes EACH WAY. It is Ramadan, so there are only 3 scheduled departures from NC to my neighborhood. However there… Continue reading Adventures in Stupidity – part 2

Adventures in Stupidity – part 1

Techno-stupidity I am frequently amazed to find that my “technical expertise” is substantially beyond that of others in my field (although the empirical evidence is vast), however I usually assume that the IT/ACT/Tech people know more about the systems and software than myself. I have been proven wrong. The university has changed its “Classroom Management… Continue reading Adventures in Stupidity – part 1

Gem or Coprolite?

UNCHARACTERISTICALLY PESSIMISTIC RANT TO FOLLOW – READ AT YOUR OWN RISK I am just past mid-week of the inaugural semester at AUC’s “Gem in the Desert” New Campus.  According to the university website, the New Campus is: Built at a total cost of $400 million and spanning 260 acres, the new campus provides a world-class… Continue reading Gem or Coprolite?