Nothing Much

Three boys on a bike, coming down Sadat Street (against the traffic, of course). A happy scene. The lady on the right is ready to get her hand bag snatched.

 
And so my car apparently broke seriously down; it needs two weeks before they can get it fixed. Mind you, there’s nothing wrong with the engine, the transmission, the steering column, the wheels or the exhaust. What’s wrong with it? The computer. . .  .  .  .

Yes. The onboard computer had a massive malfunction. As a result, my car refuses to drive. Now they need to get a new computer from the States. Reset it, I suggested. They merely laughed at me. I guess this is the last time I buy a car that is operating on a computer system. From now on it’s mechanical only.

 

Walking the neighborhood, together with the Pilipino maids who walk the children and the dogs.

 

I am carless (my computer wants to autocorrect it to careless). My son won’t let me lend his car. Hubbie rides a motorcycle. The old aunt is a service junkie. As a result, I’ve been kind of stuck around the house. This has forced me to slow down my life. I cannot get out of my neighborhood without some substantial planning. Hence, I am not venturing beyond the neighborhood. It’s a good thing the supermarket, my work, the school and the beach are all within walking-distance, but no more out-of-Beirut trips until further notice.

 

There's an increase of beggars in the street of Beirut. They're not Syrians, but I think it is the Syrian influx that pushes the poorer people deeper into Beirut.

 

You’d think with all this time on my hands, I’d be inspired to write a post. Not really. I cook (I hear some people laughing), I read, I walk the dog, hang around the house and get bored. I need 6 days of doing nothing before I can overcome boredom. No time to get un-bored; that will have to wait until the summer holiday.

 

Dinner table on the balcony, waiting for the family members to come home (I am not quite sure why 8 plates. Are we having people over for dinner tonight? I am usually the last to know).

School’s almost out for my daughter, and since they start early again (September 2^nd, if I understood correctly), we will be making the annual trip to the Motherland pretty soon. I wonder if it is going to be the same as in 2006. I hope not.

 

Even this post was boring. Maybe the pictures can inspire you.