(no subject)

I've been meaning to call Blondie but I'm afraid of putting my foot in it. What do you say to someone whose country has fallen under foreign occupation? On top of that, his mother's side is from Syria and he has a married aunt in Deraa. I texted him to ask about how they were doing and got one-word replies. Finally he said, "My Iraqi and Lebanese friends say I'll get used to it soon."

That has got to be the saddest thing I've heard all week.