[Rick Lee]

I can't believe I'm typing this. My mom is getting concerned that my dad is showing signs of cognitive decline and is going to the doctor with him next week to discuss. My dad called me at 6:30am today and the first words out of his mouth were, "Hey, we're going to SA in November and I wanted to ask if you think it's worth the price to upgrade to business class." At that point I was sure he was off his rocker.

But no. My dad's prep school classmate is a member of the Saudi royal family, also former ambassador to the US and Saudi foreign minister, they still talk now and then, and this prince invited a bunch of his prep school classmates and their wives (it was an all boys school back then) to the Kingdom for a private 60th reunion thing. My folks can't wait to go. I still can't believe it. I'm sure they'll be in a motorcade like our own president gets and, as they're probably all infidels, can't go to Mecca or Medina. What are they going to be able to do in Riyadh for 10 days? I reminded my folks that they may have issues with the Israeli visas in their passports and probably not to bring Bibles with them. But I'm really curious what westerners, who are neither contractors nor Muslim pilgrims, can do in the Kingdom. I kind of want to go, but I don't know that I can go that long without booze.