Living on the Periphery of Terrible Things

Living on the Periphery of Terrible Things

It's been a week since Hell hit Paris, and those French flag profile pics on social media are already starting to go away. They won't vanish as swiftly as they appeared. They'll decrease in number, little by little, just like those rainbows from a few months ago. Those rainbows made me happy. I enjoyed opening up my timeline and seeing the burst of color. We'd fought for equality and won. This is how we shout things from the rooftops, now. This was our happiness, translated to small, digital images.Of course, seeing some people ranting about the greatness of the Confederate flag from a rainbow profile made it clear that many didn't give a shit about (or comprehend) equality as much as they do following the photo filter herd while screeching about what they want.Yeah, I got cynical. I forced myself to focus on those I knew were genuinely shouting with pure joy, and I felt better.When the French flag filter...
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Lebanese Cuisine: A Love Story

Lebanese Cuisine: A Love Story

"There is no love sincerer than the love of food."  -George Bernard Shaw *In the winter of 2004, I had the brilliant idea to take a trip to France.  I thought to myself, "Sure... this'll be great.  I'll go out there all alone.  I've been talking to that French guy on the Internet for the past few months... yeah, this is a good idea."Ok... so it was a little wacky.  But, my gut said that it was a good idea, even though my head was making fun of me constantly, using words like "careless" & "daft".But, hell... since when do cautious & rational have all of the fun?It was November.  The plan was set for me to spend 2 weeks in France during April of 2005.Fast forward to April in Paris.Skip ahead to me & him, in his apartment in Montmartre."I rented a car," he said.  "I thought that next week, we'd...
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My Clock Can Wait for Uncontrolled Pooping

There comes a time in a marriage when people will begin asking about your plans to start breeding.  That time generally falls somewhere between saying "I do" & cutting the cake.Once they've started asking, they won't stop.  "So, when are you going to start having kids?"  Their eyes are blinking rapidly, focused on you, waiting for an answer.What is the correct response to this one?  Do I tell them when we'll be having our next sexy fun time?  Do I present a chart with my ovulation cycle?  For fuck's sake...I'm still in my wedding dress.There's only one thing to do - drink heavily throughout the duration of the reception.Damn.  Only one problem.  It doesn't stop after the reception."But your clock is ticking, you know."  Now, that's tact.  I'm 35.  My clock isn't a major concern for me right now.  I should punch you in the spine.Is that what marriage is?  Get the piece of paper & start pushing out larvae...
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