Winter weather in this part of France can be fluky, we are learning. Yesterday, we were bundled up (well, by SoCal standards) during a walk to a nearby town — but were quite cold throughout because of powerful winds that took the wind-chill factor to 47 Fahrenheit. Today? Bright sun. Very little wind. Temps cracking […]

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Much is being made about the brutal cold expected at the NFL playoffs game in Minneapolis on Sunday. The Minnesota Vikings versus the Seattle Seahawks at the University of Minnesota — with a forecast temperature at kickoff of 0 degrees Fahrenheit. That will make it one of the coldest games in NFL history, though the […]

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Hommes and femmes, both. Men and women on the high side of retirement age appear to have have clustered along the Cote d’Azur, also known as the French Riviera. It seems a fine place to retire, with mostly nice weather, lots of light and the “300 days of sun” which seems to be the standard […]

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So, yes, it’s true: Telecoms are a pain in the neck no matter where you turn up. After six years of various issues with the Etisalat telecom in Abu Dhabi (and, before that a variety of others, in the states), we spent much of our first day in southern France trying to get wifi in […]

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After six years and two months in Abu Dhabi, we leave the UAE for the final time today, headed for Los Angeles on flight EY171, Etihad’s 16-hour-plus nonstop to LAX. It was a fast six years, filled with challenges unimagined during previous incarnations as California journalists. Each of us added a significant stretch to our […]

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This has been a point of pride, in the UAE, for months now: Not only was a significant fraction of the first half hour of Star Wars: The Force Awakens filmed in the deserts of Abu Dhabi … the movie premiered for the public here yesterday, December 16, two days ahead of the North American […]

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After six years on the eastern side of the Atlantic Ocean, I can safely identify two additions to Sports Competitions I Follow. The English Premier League … which is a subdivision of the ultra elite European Champions League. This is where the world’s most famous sports teams come to play because, really, we must concede […]

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One of the many memorable moments in Steve Martin‘s 1991 film L.A. Story involves his portrayal of local TV weatherman  Harris K. Telemacher speaking with another Angeleno about a shocking drop in temperature … all the way down to 58 degrees! They talk about “closing the windows” and “letting the cats inside”. Martin’s character sums […]

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We were at the Immigration Office in Abu Dhabi today to handle an administrative chore pertaining to passports. Eventually, pretty much everyone here spends hours at the Immigration Office. The office is in several buildings on 19th Street, near the church district. It may be one of the busiest government offices in the city, behind […]

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Is this just me, or does anyone else find a rooting interest in every sporting contest ever invented? Seems a bit odd, now that I think about it, but that’s how it works. And not just with teams I know. Within five minutes of watching a match between teams I do not know … I […]

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