Author Archives: khobar95

When Religion was Meaningless

Posted on December 29, 2025 by khobar95

I found a letter of mine stuck in with photos I’ve been scanning. I obviously “borrowed” Mom’s typewriter for this, but judging from the folds, the letter was never sent. Still, it is another “long lost” piece of history. I’m … Continue reading →

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First Public Reading from The Troubles

Posted on December 21, 2025 by khobar95

In recent months, I’ve been finalizing my memoir The Troubles (subtitle to be added later), sending it out to various beta readers who have been enormously helpful in catching all kinds of stuff that slipped through. The intention was to … Continue reading →

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The Day the Music Died

Posted on September 11, 2025 by khobar95

“Hello, wee son. This is Mom.” She sounded shaky, on the verge of crying. I bit my lip. “I’ve bad news, son. Roger’s been in an accident.” “Did the oil rig explode?” My heart raced as the words came out. … Continue reading →

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Boarding School or Mental Institution?

Posted on August 25, 2025 by khobar95

In 1976, my brother and I went from Anchorage, Alaska, to an Irish boarding school. We’d been to Ireland before, got on well with the local kids, and even went to school there. Coming back to Ireland didn’t seem that … Continue reading →

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Friends

Posted on August 21, 2025 by khobar95

The day after we moved from the base into a house in Anchorage, my brother Roger asked me to help with something. As the dutiful little brother who loved that his big brother included him in all sorts of fun, … Continue reading →

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Alaska

Posted on August 13, 2025 by khobar95

When I first arrived in Anchorage, Alaska, in 1973, I thought I’d landed on Mars. The trees were all stunted. The city was on the ocean, but the sea was gray. There was no beach to speak of, only mud … Continue reading →

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Memory Revisited

Posted on August 6, 2025 by khobar95

When Dad announced he was retiring from Aramco back in 1983, I thought yes, at last, I was headed home to the States for good to college, friends, girls. He then said he had taken on a job in Lahore, … Continue reading →

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Church and Thanksgiving

Posted on August 4, 2025 by khobar95

Boarding School? No. That was still a couple of years off. This picture is me looking forward to another rousing hour of church, actually, in Anchorage. Oh, the joy of knowing I was going to hell unless I bribed the … Continue reading →

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Memory is Funny

Posted on July 25, 2025 by khobar95

Bomb Scare at Shannon Airport “Helle” — Helene Nixon Some years ago, my son Paul and I were at Shannon Airport and there was a bomb scare. We were staying at the hotel, but no one knew whether the bomb … Continue reading →

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I’ve Been Hacked!

Posted on June 17, 2024 by khobar95

Argh. It seems my Facebook account got hacked. Without warning, my account has been vaporized. I sent notification that it had been hacked within a few minutes, but too late. Oh well. It’s funny that in this day and age, … Continue reading →

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