Posts from — July 2007

This is funny:

Study: Iraqis May Experience Sadness When Friends, Relatives Die

BALTIMORE—Are Iraqis capable of experiencing grief on a personal level, like Americans? A new study suggests yes.

Newsweek recently published a story about Islam In America, a Special Report in which they discuss how Muslims are well integrated in the U.S., despite a few troubling trends present within the Muslim society.

Newsweek could have done a really good job with this article. Yes, it was positive for the most part, but it was nothing new. It’s essentially a regurgitation of the findings of the Pew Research Center’s study on Muslims in America that was released earlier this year, which the article refers to quite a bit. Also, while the article starts off positively and contains mostly optimistic language, it ends on a somber note. Is the article worth reading? Sure why not. Just click on the link.

If you pick it up in the bookstore and read it, however, be mindful of the article on Al-Qaeda that directly precedes the Islam in America article. Way to frame the message, Newsweek.

This past weekend, I flew to Orange County for a surprise birthday party. I know what y’all are thinking - “didn’t you just go?” Yeah, I did. I’m quite the baller.

My flight Saturday morning was supposed to be relatively easy. I mean, it’s just an hour flight. However, it was quite the opposite. There seemed to be a good amount of turbulence for such a flight. Also, it really seemed at one point that the handles slipped out of the pilot’s grasp for a moment. I was staring out the window, gazing at the wing, when the the plane dipped to the side. It wasn’t the slight rockiness of turbulence folks but a more than obvious dip of the plane that you just knew wasn’t supposed to happen.

As I witnessed the wing dip, I exclaimed “Holy sh-” and turned to see the reaction of others on the plane. Weirdly enough, there was no reaction. I was the only one who seemed to notice the plane tip and quickly straighten, almost as if the pilot had lost control for a second.

Needless to say, I was convinced the pilot was drunk and/or on drugs, especially since this came after a crazy liftoff from SJC and greater than normal turbulence.

I wanted to go into the cockpit on my way out with a “Dude, what’s wrong with you?” but suppressed the urge.

My return flight couldn’t have been better although I did have a faint sense of unease . . .

I reached my terminal when boarding had already commenced and therefore, my group was already called. As I made my way back to aisle 30, I found that someone was in my seat. I double checked my boarding pass - 30F. I wasn’t mistaken. A nearby flight attendant asked the guy what seat was on his boarding pass. “30F,” he replied. He checked his boarding pass and let out a sigh “31F.” As he started to unbuckle his seatbelt, the flight attendant made the suggestion that I just take 31 F since he was already situated in that seat. “Good idea,” I said and settled into 31F.

I couldn’t then help thinking of scenarios where the fact that I switched seats made a difference.

Hmm. . . I was going to type out what was in my head at the time, but I think I’ll spare everyone the morbid details (trust me, they were morbid).

Moral of the story, the weirdest plane experiences I’ve had were this past weekend.

The End.

My room needs a ctrl+F function.

I can’t find my passport.

I got to work this morning and, as part of anyone’s morning ritual, I logged into my work email account. This is the part where new emails download and I check them out.

However, today was different

I had no new email when I logged in.

Surely this must be a mistake, I thought. For a second, I wondered if I typed in the wrong password. I didn’t though. I clicked on the ‘Check Mail’ button just in case something was held up in the queue. Nothing downloaded.

I officially had no email this morning. Not even Spam.

It was rather sad.

“An 11-year-old girl was charged with drunken driving after leading police on a chase at speeds of up to 100 mph that ended when she flipped the car in an Alabama beach town.”

Story here.

Should I make a crack about how this happened in Alabama?

Nah, too easy.