Over a Month...and a New President!

It’s been over a month since I’ve posted, yes, I’ve been lazy.  So, what has been happening you ask?  I’ll tell you.

 

My cousin came for about 10 days, we showed around Dubai and Abu Dhabi.  He took the Big Red Bus tour of Dubai (just like in London), skied @ Ski Dubai and went to all the malls!  We also took Jen’s Prado out on the dunes, that was super fun.  Went to Hatta Pools again, same gross water and trash everywhere…some things don’t change here.  Tried to visit the Auto Museum, but it is closed again for some reason.  On the way, I drove really fast and hopefully didn’t scare Brad too much.  He did comment on my driving…that the lane markers mean nothing to me anymore, nor does posted speed limits…  He also thinks we, but esp. Jen, are really lazy since we have maids, office boys, car washers, grocery delivery people, etc, etc…  Wouldn’t you like to have your morning tea brought to you at your desk when you arrive?  Need a copy, ask the office boy.  Need your car washed, give the parking garage guy 10 dirham ($2.75) and it’s done!  Need a 5 gallon jug of water delivered, 

call the corner store, they bring it.  Anyway, enough. 

 I’ve signed up for the Coast to Coast bike race next weekend.  180k from Dubai to Fujarah on the other side.  We’ll see what happens, I’ve hooked up with some cyclists in Abu Dhabi and we’ll all work together.  1^st place is 20,000 dirham!  I rode most of the climbs on the course the other weekend.  Nothing like Jebel Hafeet, but there are a lot and at race pace will be a different story.    The local clubs have a few riders that can compete, so I will be a good race, just don’t know how it will shake out.  Most of us think the riders will die after 100k or so…  Several of us have deep well to dig into for the race, including a domestic pro that will be racing with us. 

November is shaping up to a busy month.  With the bike race next weekend, Jebel Hafeet du the following and a sprint tri the next.  As my coach and are discovering, my motivation sucks and having races on the horizon helps.  I like to train to race, just training is hard work.  I’m looking forward to those races. 

I’m also very happy to say that with Obama being president elect, America is safe for me to come back to now.  If McCain made it, I would not being coming home in the next 4 years, so it’s nice to have that option open again.  Everyone in the office were congratulating the Americans, people all over are very happy.  I think that the economic woes of the world are going to get better, no matter what happens with 

Obama’s financial policies, based solely on he brings the much needed change to America.  The Arabic version of a local paper said, in Arabic, something along the lines of, “A Black man to change white America” or something.  As an expat, I can say that I look forward to not defending my country for the next four years as people talk shit about it.  Good things will happen and America will become great again.  

Here are some of my favourite photos from that last month…blogspot blows for photos now...if you are on facebook (can't believe I am saying that) there are bunch more photos of the dunes, Atlantis, Nayhan Mosque and others...