life rattle show no. 1210

Presented on Sunday, June 24, 2012

Hosted by laurie kallis

featuring

Rana Darwish reading her stories
"Online Test"
"Airport Standby"
and
"First Date"

tonight's Show

Tonight, on Life Rattle Number 1210, we present three new stories from new Life Rattle Writer Rana Darwish.

Rana Darwish was born in 1985 in Cairo, Egypt, where she lived until immigrating to Canada in the winter of 1994. Her father, a retired Air Force colonel, is now a small business owner. Her mother stays at home to care for their five children of which Rana is the second oldest.
In university, Darwish studied forensic science, French and writing. Her hobbies include travelling, exploring, sailing, writing, reading, listening to music, watching American football, and smiling. Rana Darwish is a trilingual flight attendant based in Toronto and her routes include London and Tel Aviv.

With crystalline prose, Darwish brings us tales of new technology, the timeless search for love (with a twist) and the chaotic schedule that propel the life of a young woman as she makes the transition from student to flight attendant.

"Online Test," tonight's first story, will have your head spinning as the narrator desperately tries to squeeze every minute out of a harried afternoon. Both the wonder and the frustration of new technology that Darwish depicts so well is something that we have all grown too familiar with.

In tonight's second story, "Airport Standby," Darwish reveals an insider’s view that will belay some of the romantic visions you might have of the jet-setting life of a flight attendant.

With another take on new technology, tonight's third story, "First Date," brings us one step further as we tag along on the first face-to-face encounter of a young couple whose relationship began online. One from Toronto, one from Montreal, the two meet in Montreal. Hoping to build on an initial attraction developed through email and phone conversations, our narrator makes mental notes as the day unrolls. Her generous heart always on the lookout for the good—despite appearances to the contrary.