Author: Ben Starr
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Backyard Renovation, part 1
When we bought our house, we renovated it from top to bottom. EVERYTHING was torn out except for the bricks on the fireplace. Carpet, light switches, doorknobs, lighting and plumbing fixtures. Everything. The house cost $131,000USD, which is pretty cheap for an urban area in the US. Something that size in suburban Los Angeles or…
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Brasil, part 1
Greetings from Brasil! (Yes, you’re accustomed to Brasil being spelled with a “z” which is common in the U.S. Each time you see it spelled here, though, it’s with an “s” so I’ve always used it that way.) Christian and I arrived here yesterday. We’re down here for his cousin Pi’s wedding. Right after landing…
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Brasil, part 2
Greetings from busy Sao Paulo! (Apologies for spelling it Sao Paolo yesterday…”Paolo” is the Italian spelling, and Christian’s family were Italian immigrants to Brasil.) I learned that my first email has been bouncing around Brasil, and was even used in an English class, so that puts pressure on me to make certain I’m writing properly. …
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Brasil, part 3
I know, I know…I promised photos today, but they are all on Christian’s computer and haven’t been edited yet, so you’ll just have to wait a little longer. Today was a fabulous day! We slept in because we were so exhausted. Waking up at 10am, the maid, Lucia, had breakfast ready for us. She came…
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How to make “calaveras” or Mexican sugar skulls without meringue powder
The net is an incredible place, because 10 years ago, if I wanted to make “calaveras,” which are those sugar skulls that kids and lovers give each other for the Mexican holiday El Dia de los Muertos (the Day of the Dead), how on earth would I have figured out how to do that without…
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Sicily, part 1
Bon giorno from beautiful Sicily! (Actually, we’re back in Dallas now, but I didn’t have Internet access while we were there, so I’m sending this belatedly.) Christian and I came to Sicily to visit his sister, Angela, who has lived here for the past five years. She recently moved into a gorgeous 3 bedroom apartment…
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Sicily, part 2
It has been way too long since I sent this, the second installment of our recent trip to Sicily, but the Fall dinner party and a potential business venture sucked away all my time and brainpower. So apologies all around for the delay. And away we go… As promised, this installment won’t be entirely about…
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From Cairo, part 1
Greetings from Heliopolis, Egypt! J-P and I arrived a few hours ago. It is 130am here…and in Dallas it’s 530pm (behind). We are staying with Debbie Taylor, Justin’s mom, who has lived here for almost five years as an English teacher. Heliopolis is now a northern suburb of Cairo, but in ancient times, it was…
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From Cairo, part 2
You know you’re in the Middle East when, at 6am just as the sun is rising, prayer call startles you awake. From the minaret of the nearby mosque each morning at sunrise (and again four times throughout the day) a chanting voice blares over a loudpseaker, calling the devout to prayer. And in Cairo, you…
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From Cairo, part 3
We are back at Deb’s after an exhausting day in Cairo. Heck, Cairo is so chaotic and impossibly inefficient that just spending the day doing NOTHING is an exhausting day. We are back at Deb’s after an exhausting day in Cairo. Heck, Cairo is so chaotic and impossibly inefficient that just spending the day doing…