Originally Stored on Paper

Day 57 - Today was a rather slow day with copious time for an afternoon nap. The weather has finally turned dry in this corner of Sri Lanka. The eastern side has had a very pronounced monsoon that has dumped a lot of extra rain. This is supposed to be a drier few months.

In lieu of a fresh photo, I thought I'd look for an image from one of my first visits to the island. All that I really know about this picture is that it was shot in the 1980s. I'm pretty sure it was taken at the Kelaniya Buddhist Temple. The kid must have been interested in whatever camera I would have been carrying in those days. Surely, this boy is now in his 40s. I should somehow harness social media to send him this picture ...

Critters in My Building

At about 1:30 this afternoon, we had already eaten lunch and were just puttering around the apartment. Our building's fire alarm started ringing. It ended up being a false alarm but we evacuated as residents are supposed to. We waited with lots of residents down in front of the building for the fire trucks to arrive. The firemen checked the control panel, went to the correct location to ensure all was all right, and then unlocked the elevators and allowed everyone to return to their apartments.

While waiting, I talked with a new neighbour. He was cuddling a small, furry creature in his arms. It was cool and the animal was buried against his jacket, but still shaking. I had to ask what it was. He told me and spelled it too. I guess there are quite a few North Americans who keep a Fennec Fox as a pet. I really had never heard of them before but learned a lot in a Wikipedia article. They are undeniably cute. How does one keep a pet which can't be house-trained in an apartment though?


See YouTube Video Copied from Local TV News
There was a real fire in our building once. I blogged about it soon after it happened on November 21, 2005. It was at that time I became aware of how safe living in a concrete building is. The inferno affected only one suite. The hallways on that floor did need new paint and carpet but only the folks in that apartment lost any possessions.

Old Paper Became a PDF

The evolving set of documents entitled my eJournal and images change in focus from day to day. You might think that I'd look to a blank screen with trepidation seeing how I do this on a daily basis. In fact, generally, I'm quite happy I have a chance to share an idea, opinion, or personal experience. Just realizing my damned fortitude makes me proud. I have kept this up for five and a half years whilst most personal blogs have fallen by the wayside.

Keeping this going really has become part of a routine and it doesn't seem like a struggle at all. After all, you'll rarely find wordy tomes that have required much planning. I find I can always find something to post. For example, yesterday I added to facebook an old colleague from my days at Dubai Men's College of the Higher Colleges of Technology. Perhaps because of this, I was thinking of my five years of teaching in the United Arab Emirates. I am happy that I once had the idea of scanning documents. Once in electronic format, they can be easily stored and shared.

If you click the little image, you'll open a PDF image of a student publication I spearheaded for my Foundations program English students. I think they were put together in Microsoft Publisher format. I may have the current version of that program on the hard drive of this computer, but I have never even opened it. Paper seems less important nowadays. Before web pages, photocopying was necessary if one wanted to share words with others. We must have burned through a lot of paper on these projects. Click the image to open the seventh and final copy of the year issued on May 25, 1992.

When Documents Weren't on Screens

Today, I had some fun digging through an old box of paperwork. For work, I am trying to come up with some documents which show my employment history prior to my eleven and a half years of teaching at BCIT.


Old documents really take one back to the days when both truth and proof were substantiated on mere paper. When I graduated with a Bachelor's degree in 1981, my college had a 'placement file' service. As a bonus for graduates, they'd keep letters of recommendation, documents, and employment papers on file. Upon written request, they'd mail off officially stamped paperwork directly to an intended recipient. The entire department ceased operating a half dozen years later.

Compared to today's email and electronic documentation, it all seemed so quaint. I knew I would someday get to a point where I'd look back on things from my early career and take joy in fondly remember them. I am just a bit surprised that day has seemed to arrive so quickly! In bits and pieces over the last decade, I've put a small amount of information online. For example, prior to widespread use of Adobe Acrobat I once saved previous letters of recommendation in standard image format. Then later, I thought it'd be fun to scan some yellowing paper-based memories into standard PDF format. Doing this wasn't nearly as fun as I thought, and my collection is somewhat incomplete.

Just a few minutes ago though, I was able to find a box which has some of the originals. Luckily they didn't need to survive trial by flood or fire. As it is, they have weathered great distances and substantial time. Perhaps it's good that all things haven't ended up as computer files for there's nothing like the pungent smell of old paper.

The Great, Non-Stop 'Me Channel'

The end of a year is a great time for re-evaluation. Although in reality the start of a new year is merely a calendar change, it does provide us with a convenient time to think about what has occurred and what the future holds.

I have a larger online digital existence than any other individual I know. Photos, PDF files, and video bits are 'out there' on the net and form a part of the 'online me'. My blog which I wisely named, my eJournal and images, continues to be the main repository for this data. During the past five years of daily entries, its focus has changed and developed. I still think of it as a permanent storehouse of digital junk. However, more of my temporary information is moving into Facebook.

For example, it doesn't make sense to include a great deal my on-going digital consumption in my blog. It turns out to be, however, a great place to report the itinerary on an overseas trip, or to include memoirs from years back. My blog is my own digital archives. Yet, if I want to share a particular podcast I've found interesting, my Facebook wall proves to be a better location for it. That information is not my own and so I cannot vouch that its URL will remain intact for more than a week. Still it has become a part of me, and I want to add it somewhere!

The fact that Facebook sucks in my blog's feed and even the pictures I add to the thousands on Flickr, it becomes a great place to get my 'digital summary'. The ability to quickly add a link is a hell of a lot more efficient than emailing those people I feel might be interested in it.

I really have no patience for friends who cannot figure out the importance of using a Facebook account, but remember, I'm often kind of rude about the fact. If they're really worth communicating with, then they'll join in 2009 or be left in my digital dust.

Memory Prompt

myhistory.doc

You know how hard it can be to remember the date when something important happened in your life. I suppose one has to acquire a certain age before there's enough in the repertoire. In addition, the more varied the experiences the tougher it becomes. I can surely run into trouble trying to place specific events in proper years.

When I was in my 30's I created a MS Word file which tried to highlight some important events that had occurred. I simply tried creating a line for each month of each year from 1981. Years often go by, but then I again remember that file. It moves from computer to computer with me.

It's interesting for me to review specific things. For example, I bought my first MS-DOS computer in 1986 in Saudi Arabia. I vacationed in the Maldives in April of 1998. I bought my first video camera in February of 1991 when working in Bahrain. I just added a line to show that hamster #6 came to live here this month. None of these things are crucial to know. I could easily live without this information but having it feels comforting.

The file will, hopefully, not be complete for many years to come. I am posting a link to the file as it exists today. This will at least provide an alternative copy to the one on my local hard drives. I wouldn't expect that it will interest any guests of my blog, but it will provide me access to the data from anywhere on the Net. If you're keeping up on the future of computing with Microsoft's move towards Azure, you can think of this as an initial, poor-man's-attempt at stuffing something into my cloud.

On a Keyboard ... 22 Years Ago

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.

---

Breathing New Life into Old Audio

[Audio links reconnected on July 19, 2026]

Once in a blue moon, I look over some of the standard information on my site. It's all so general that I almost never need to update it. I do periodically modify the date on my resume document; however, as I'm not looking for a new job, nothing else ever needs changing.

I did try to play some ancient audio files this morning. They were originally recorded on a cheap cassette tape recorder sitting near a transistor radio. I encoded them as Real Audio files at least a decade ago. Unfortunately, that file format is no longer very cool nor even playable. Nowadays, up-to-date  software cannot even locate the old, streaming codec of that era. I knew if I wanted them to remain at all useful, I'd need to convert them.

Fortunately, after a half dozen false starts, I found a piece of free shareware called AudioVideo_to_Exe. It converted the old steaming .ra files to standard .mp3 format. The conversion did triple the file size but, of course, could not improve the quality of the sound. Still at around thirty minutes each, 14 mb files ain't bad.

I'm such an armchair archivist!

MP3 AUDIO

---

1994 Radio Archive: Dubai FM, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Educationally Yours. The HCT BBS
Mike Friganiotis, Mohammed Al-Shamsi, and Dennis Hurd. (30:06 minutes)

---

1995 Radio Archive: Dubai FM, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Educationally Yours. The Internet
Mike Friganiotis, Tonia Huculak, and Dennis Hurd (25:39 minutes)

Something's Fishy

If you've ever spent much time around here, you'll know that I never include cutesy web jokes. In reality I'm a pretty humorous person, but little of that comes across in my eJournal and images. I guess when it comes to the keyboard, I'm usually all business.

So, it should seem very unusual for me to add a cartoon. Let me, however, add a little background. I'm not quite sure why I ever originally saved this image as doing so would seem untypical. However, I found it on a full, duel-layer DVD. I made this back up for files going back to 1985. In fact, I put it in the drive to look for any document at least 20 years old to add here today. I am not sure whether MS Office Word 07 can even open a WordPerfect document as ancient as that.

The disk contains a lot. I found myself looking through the maze of subdirectories. (Ahem, nowadays, I guess they're called folders.) It was rather like treasure hunting. I found this particular image in E:/Master DVD Backup 1985-2007/1985-1999_05/old p133/Graphics/JPG/Cartoons & Stuff/. It was called fishsplit.jpg and was created on September 21, 1998.

See, my entry has even made the following seem less funny.

Created on the Fly

Lots of entries in the blog are about the very act of blogging. If this is a modern equivalent of gazing at one's own navel, so be it.

Very soon after adding a few entries, I realized I was creating a repository of personal data. I tried explaining this early on to a high school friend who is a bit of an archivist himself. Bret suggested I print out what I was doing so as to allow keeping a bound paper version. Wait! This happened at the end of 2003 but even though it was never pressed on parchment, you can read the original entry. I knew I was fighting an uphill battle for hearts and minds.

Even though I think of the information here as electronic, I still imagine physical pages of data. That's why I've always linked to weekly archives each with seven days of data.

Just last week, I decided to go ahead and begin using what blogger calls labels. (The rest of the world considers them tags.) I will probably never get around to adding them to the nearly four years of prior entries, but I can surely initiate their use from here on in. When displaying by labels, it really brings home the point that this simply contains data. The pages exist in order to display the information. For example, the following list will show customized pages created on the fly.

Creative Zen

Kuwait

movies

Sri Lanka 2004

Oh, I should add that newly-created pages are still organized in reverse-chronological order.

Old Files Never Die

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,

---

18K is Nearly Nothing

Last night, I was searching through a CD filled with archived computer files for inspiration. I have a desire to sometimes dip into my past for these blog entries. If I'm attempting to have a documented existence I have a lot of catching up to do. Although I've been blogging for coming up on three and a half years, I had a great deal of life before that! In fact, the figure stands at a scary 44 years. So, a snippet or two from my monstrously-large past is added here from time to time.

I navigated to folders that once existed on the computer I had sent from Dubai. When we moved here, it was near top of the line with a 12 gigabyte hard disk. I think the processor was a P133. The sub-directories quietly exist on a +R compact disk now. I ended up spending more time than I anticipated looking through the ten or eleven year old files. The MS Excel spreadsheets were interesting as I used to track monthly expenses that way. The MS Word documents may have included the very cover letter that got me an interview at BCIT. There were old .jpg files although they were mostly poor-quality scans. Among the debris, I found many things I could've included in today's blog entry. Yet, I ended up copying the following tiny 18K file for inclusion.


The tiny 18K .mid file plays for 6:18 minutes.

This sort of showcases how much more we expect from a PC nowadays. I found a substantial collection of MIDI files. They are tiny files with instructions for a sound card's synthesiser and contain no actual sound themselves. It was fun to actually hear anything through the basic desktop speakers. Compare that with video programs I now routinely record from TV through a capture card. A half an hour of Little Mosque on the Prairie has a file size approximately 100 thousand times larger.

Originally in WordPerfect V4.2

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.

---

That Was a While Ago

If you visit this blog somewhat frequently, you know that I have a propensity to mix current entries with bits of my past. I know I'll never write an autobiography, at least in a traditional form. Over the long term, if I keep this up, all the things I could possibly say will probably spill out here.

I placed my archive CD was in a drive. I usually gravitate to the older sub-folders. This time, however, I chose something from Vancouver. I noticed a MS Write document written in August of the year of our arrival. I had used an internal fax modem to get it to its destination.

The original was typed a whole decade ago so very few of the details are still accurate.

---

#903 838 Agnes Street
New Westminster, BC V3M 6R3

Telephone: (604) 524-6197
Internet Email: dhurd@intergate.bc.ca

August 11, 1996

Director, Human Resources
Pitman Business College
Fax: 685-9879

Dear sir/madam,

I have recently arrived in the Vancouver area. For the previous fifteen years, I have been involved in extensive ESL teaching in the Persian Gulf. My most recent five years have been spent with the Higher Colleges of Technology in the United Arab Emirates. This is a trend-setting, post educational institution and it was very professionally rewarding to work there.

Now, I would like to be considered for employment with Pitman. I feel that my experiences will integrate well with your objectives. I am an excellent teacher in a classroom environment. My prior involvement with computer instruction, as well as, experience in creating and implementing teaching materials will be an asset for your institution.

Please feel free to take a look at the web version of my resume. It utilises browser frames and is available at http://intergate.bc.ca/personal/dhurd/. Additionally, I would like to forward letters of reference or other materials that will give you a better idea of my qualifications. I look forward to setting up an appointment so we may discuss how I can best contribute to the goals of Pitman Business College.

Respectfully,

Dennis S. Hurd

---

PS. By the way, I did get a job after faxing this document and worked at Pitman for a year. I devised and taught a program for non-immigrant ESL students on visitor visas. The school no longer exists.

Not Practicing What I Preach

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,

---

A Past Letter Home

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,

            Dennis

Writing Home Before Email

I've been dredging up the past for several days. Sometimes I'm amazed how much easier it is for us than our ancestors to save and share 'life stuff'. It's easy to turn paper into PDF's. Photos can be shot digitally and old ones scanned. The Net means it can show up instantly anywhere.

Today, I dipped into my archive CD for keystrokes made long ago. I copied junk from old 360K floppies once upon a time. This letter to my father was written about fourteen years ago. The printed version is long gone, but the WordPerfect file opened right up in Word 2003. All data expressed must be viewed in its historical context. For back in 1991, what did I know?

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Mr. Dennis Sylvester Hurd
Dubai Men's College Faculty
Post Office Box 15825
Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Intl. Telephone: Code 971-4
Work 690029 ext. 306
Fax 691369 Home 369354

October 25, 1991

Dear Dad,

Greetings from Dubai. It has been several weeks since I've written. I really don't have to much to say. But I do want to "appear" to write more regularly than you!

Things are continuing here as expected. I am waiting for my second salary check. It does seem as though October has been a long month. But as far as money, I have already saved as much working here as I would have in a half year in Bahrain. It is nice not to be making payments for an apartment. And think how silly it was to rent a car in Bahrain for over two years!

My car by the way, is running fine. It hasn't been in for it's second free oil change yet because it has only 3,700 kilometers (2,220 miles) on it. When on a long trip I can see why the new, ugly round Chevy Caprices are so popular here. Even in 5th gear, after a few hours you feel a little like you're riding in a wind-up toy. Still for $8,000 it seems like a solid little performer.

The college had grown to big for our one building. So last week, the English staff moved to another building only a quarter of a mile away. It is part of a large apartment building. But the contractors came and redesigned to two floor end of the building into very nice classrooms. Now because of the additional space, I don't have to have all my classes in the afternoon. Rather, I have eight o'clock classes four days a week. Now I have to get up earlier.

It also takes longer to get to work because there's major construction on the bridge which I cross the harbor. Thank god they are taking out the dangerous roundabouts. I don't know why but that's one thing the British always leave behind . . . very treacherous traffic circles.

Of course this place was influenced by the English before. But now America seems to be exerting a lot of influence. I don't think it is necessarily due to the Gulf War. It's just that many UAE nationals now go to the US for university education. And there's the general truth that we as a nation, are much more respectful of people from other countries.

The weather is changing here to the winter. It must be because of the Gulf, but it is somewhat like Seattle. No, the temperature is not in the 40's or 50's. But each morning starts with fog and mist. Stupid me, left my headlights on at the school the other morning. By 4:30pm the battery was very, very dead. No wonder why I like manual transmissions!

So, everything here is all right. I do miss FPO but if I had it I probably would have purchased a $1,000 laser printer mail order. I borrowed one from the school last weekend. How great!

I hope everything's all right with you. Say hi to Dianne and the kids. When are you guys gonna start talking about getting married?

Love always,
Dennis

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A Fine Line Between Gold & Garbage

As has been the case recently, I fish for something to scan for Sundays' entries. I assure you this is only because I'm too tired to say much of import after a 7-hour teaching day.

One thing I've discovered about myself is that I save far too much junk. I save things I'll never need. For example, I located my expenditures from August of 1989. I am not sure that this is a positive. It totally flies in the face of my view I'm so come as one may. Rather, it makes me seem a little, you know, .... retentive.

Before blogging, I never really managed to keep a journal. Yet, I used to keep a spreadsheet of monthly expenses well before I bought my first copy of 'MS Money'. If you click on the thumbnail, you'll load a .pdf file of expenses during August 1989. I was in Bahrain at the time. The columns of figures are Bahraini Dinars, US Dollars, and Sri Lankan Rupees, respectively. I spent less than $350 a month? No wonder why I am rich today.

I wonder if the categories and my percentages have changed after 16 years. Well, surely there's one difference: I quit smoking five or six years ago.

One Shy of a Decade

It was time to search for a bit of personal, historical data to include on the blog. The following text was faxed exactly nine years ago today. It doesn't seem possible that we've already been in Canada that long. This letter turned into work. I contracted with this educational organization to develop an ESL course for visiting International students. Marie Tompkin was CEO of Pitman Business College at the time. I greatly admired her managerial and educational prowess. Subsequently, she sold the business and now its form, location, and goals differ. Still, I can fondly look back at a year there. I moved right from Pitman to teaching at the British Columbia Institute of Technology in the autumn of 1997.

The web link and email address contained below are no longer valid.

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#903 838 Agnes Street
New Westminster, BC V3M 6R3
Telephone: (604) 524-6197
Internet Email: dhurd@intergate.bc.ca

August 11, 1996

Director, Human Resources
Pitman Business College
Fax: 685-9879

Dear sir/madam,

I have recently arrived in the Vancouver area. For the previous fifteen years, I have been involved in extensive ESL teaching in the Persian Gulf. My most recent five years have been spent with the Higher Colleges of Technology in the United Arab Emirates. This is a trend-setting, post educational institution and it was very professionally rewarding to work there.

Now, I would like to be considered for employment with Pitman. I feel that my experiences will integrate well with your objectives. I am an excellent teacher in a classroom environment. My prior involvement with computer instruction, as well as, experience in creating and implementing teaching materials will be an asset for institution.

Please feel free to take a look at the web version of my résumé. It utilises browser frames and is available at http://intergate.bc.ca/personal/dhurd/. Additionally, I would like to forward letters of reference or other materials that will give you a better idea of my qualifications. I look forward to setting up an appointment so we may discuss how I can best contribute to the goals of Pitman Business College.

Respectfully,

Dennis S. Hurd

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eJournal anniversary

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