Category: long story short

Someone sent me a link to Iraq Body Count, which estimates only 16 civilian deaths so far.

This was in my inbox this morning: I’m back to Erbil city since half an hour ago to check out on the house, we are now in a small village in the mountains that is one hour and half far from Erbil.. its a big crowd in a house that belongs to my brother-in-law’s sister…

Then this came yesterday (late last year I had been encouraging Delshad to start a blog, but he has been on the move most of the time since then): Dear Xian, I’m now Erbil and most possibly move to some village or town far from here… I really don’t like to do that nor my…

Here’s the message I got from Delshad on Tuesday, sent to all his online friends: Dear friends, This is just a very short note to tell you that I’m now leaving back to Erbil where then I will go with the family to some village – seems the war is already starting and the family…

Long story short, I have a friend in Iraq named Delshad. He is a Kurd and he lives in northern Iraq, in the northern no-fly zone. Last fall he was trying to get out of the country, but only got as far as Syria and then returned. With the war on, I thought I’d post…

Mailed a birthday card, bought some champagne, returned a video, snapped some pictures. The plum trees have turned a lurid crimson maroon. The recent rain has polished the lens of the sky to its east-bay finest. You wouldn’t believe how many pictures of clouds I’ve taken over the years.