A Boy and His Dog

December 30, 2009 | Filed Under Main | 5 Comments

This is our new dog.

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His name is Noah… for now. Some people don’t think it’s the right name yet. The right name should come to us sometime in the next six months.

Why a new dog? Why is the sky blue? A friend of ours has a giant Irish wolf hound (like the size of a Hummer). She went looking for a friend for this lovable monster and rescued a dog from a kill shelter in the South. But the papers didn’t go through and she didn’t hear anything for a while, so she rescued another dog. Then – suddenly – the first dog appeared. Noah was a mess when he first arrived – physically abused and unkept. But by the time Christopher met up with him a few days later, the two fell madly in love.

However it was my decision when I came home. Kerry liked the dog, but did not want another animal in the house (which I totally understand, especially since we run day care for her sister’s two dogs and our rugs need to be set on fire). Chris wanted nothing BUT the dog, which would be his dog. He wanted the opportunity to train, care for and raise his dog. I like this reason (and hope for the best).

Mainly – I think I wanted to stave off dog withdrawals, since I do miss Jules our old collie. And look at that face! How do you say no to that face??

Christmas Eve

December 24, 2009 | Filed Under Main | 1 Comment

Off for a date with the wife – a lovely dinner at this place called Nicholas in Red Bank. This will be our first time out in months. And a much more laid back Christmas – even though there will be many people stopping by tomorrow.

Cozy and relaxed. I wish that to everyone this Christmas.

Home

December 21, 2009 | Filed Under Main | 7 Comments

Well, that was fun.

I entered Kuwait airport about 12 noon Eastern Standard (8PM my time) and finally arrived home around 8PM EST. Not quite what I had hoped, mainly because I’m not found of living in the same clothes for 32 hours.

We boarded the plane in Amsterdam ontime but waited a while at the gate for stragglers and a connecting flight. It was snowing the whole time and falling a bit heavier every moment. Finally, we pulled away from the gate and I proceeded to fall asleep (which I always do once we start moving). An hour later, we were still sitting on the tarmac waiting for a plane in front of us to be de-iced. Then we had to be de-iced for a second time…. And it didn’t take. They couldn’t de-ice one of our wings. So two hours after pulling away, we went back to the gate. And we sat.

Then they opened the door to the plane. And we sat.

Then they fed us part of our meal – some mushroom soup and the salad. They told us to hang on to our silverware. And we sat. At this point, they could have – at any moment – cancelled the flight and set us free to wander the streets of Amsterdam. Which I could handle without a problem. Also – I knew it was snowing in Jersey, so what were our chances anyway? (And there was no WiFi in the plane, so I couldn’t connect to the web to let everyone know what was happening.)

Another hour and a half or so and it had stopped snowing. Then the door closed. And we sat.

Then we pulled away to try again, but now we had to wait in line for a) our plane to be de-iced again and b) our spot at take-off. Finally, after another hour or two, we left Amsterdam and chased the sun across the sky to Newark. My 11am flight leaving at 4:30PM. Luckily I was in Business so nodding off from time to time was easy (though they weren’t serving drinks). Still – this has been the only glitch I’ve ever been through on any of my flights to or from various spots. And that it happened around Christmas and on my last flight is somehow fitting.

Now – home

Flying??

December 20, 2009 | Filed Under Main | 1 Comment

It snowing here in Amsterdam and I suppose it’s snowing in Newark. But my gate is open and the plane will load on time… at the moment. Neither side has blinked. This is the second to last leg of my journey with my over 100kg of luggage. The last leg is down the Jersey Turnpike. Stay tuned, campers….

Work Ends

December 16, 2009 | Filed Under Main | 4 Comments

Today is my last day of work and coincides with a dark, black thunder storm outside. The rain is pounding my flamingoes for the second time this morning. I don’t know whether they just stand out there like ducks or flock to the Starbucks across the street for shelter. I hope they don’t try for the Starbucks – they will get hit by one of the many expensive cars that crowd the parking lot.

And though it is really raining (again), it may not really be my last day of work. I am to become an “offshore” consultant and work virtually from home for a period of time. This comes from creating something that no one else really knows how to work (well – they never asked!). The arrangement will come in handy with my transition from “where I am now” to “where I want to be”. I need to set up my next cycle of Life. I need this next one to be a bit morefulfilling.

And I can sit on the computer in my underwear with the best of them so – Woo Hoo!

Second to Last

December 11, 2009 | Filed Under Main | 2 Comments

Watched the sun come up over Abu Dhabi on my way to the airport. This will be my second to last flight in the region. My last trip to our office out here was successful on my terms. Said goodbye to some friends, got my staff situated for the future and had a few beers. However, I mainly came out to meet with the CEO to settle some issues but she never had the time. Sunday – she promises. Doesn’t actually matter to me.

The cab ride was only twenty minutes. We started in darkness and watched the skies lighten over the cranes and palm trees. Had my last glimpse of the magnificent Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. Saw structures completed since my last trip and new construction everywhere – all out in the middle of nothing. The main city is an okay place. Nicely put together. Bustling with folks from all different countries. I saw joggers in the darkness and men of bicycles. The atmosphere is much more friendly and social than Kuwait or other neighbors. The Killers played the other night, as did the techno group Underworld. The city is trying to grow and take over more of the desert. They already have a Formula One racetrack and new soccer stadiums and luxury hotels and new office buildings and the beginnings of new housing complexes and planned villages.

And my question is the same as when I was in Qatar, walking the construction site for the massive complex called Education City: Who is this for? Trust me – the locals don’t care about all this shimmer and shake. Golf tournament? Tennis tournaments? Beyonce? This is not to appeal to the Emiratis or Qataris. This is the Middle East’s “come hither” look. But who really is going to come and buy?

Again – not my problem. But I think of all the people I’ve met or seen out here who have come to take the money. And I will look out the window as we take off and wonder if this region truly knows its audience.

At The Movies

December 5, 2009 | Filed Under Main | 8 Comments

I went to the movies last night to see 2012 – because you really need to see world-wide destruction on a big screen. Unfortunately it wasn’t in IMAX, but I sat up close so it seemed like it. Last week, I also watched “9” which is the animated aftermath of world-wide destruction and I finished reading The Road, which is the non-animated aftermath of world-wide destruction. The movie of that book is out now and I will see it when I get home. Toss in the Terminator movie, the awful Knowing and a slew of zombie films and you can vaguely see a pattern here.

Vaguely I said. Shakespeare said the stage was to be “as a mirror up to Nature”, but that has never been Hollywood’s forte. Hollywood mines a fad until it is but another dead horse beaten into a gutter and left lifeless. Meaning this could just be world-wide destruction’s time in the pit and all will be talking babies and cute puppies next year.

But it does give me pause to see all this carnage in the first full year of our new Depression and our new President. Though the destruction is pure Hollywood, one can’t help but look around at this year’s quota of earthquakes, fires, epidemics, tsunamis, tropical storms and – of course – war and wonder where the escapism in all these films. Don’t get me wrong – I’m a big fan of special effects and I thoroughly enjoyed the ones I saw last night. But I also spent some time thinking about what I would pack and how quickly I could do it should, you know, something happen…

Winter

December 1, 2009 | Filed Under Main | 3 Comments

Right now it’s about 60 degrees in Kuwait. (See? More weather. It’s like a theme…)

And that’s because it is Winter. As far as I can tell, this is the coldest it has been in the past two years. At night – it gets down to 50. For me – this is excellent Spring weather. For the locals- well they have broken out the parkas and heavy down coats and scarves. I should be sleeping with the windows open because this is great weather for it (and the air is semi-fresh). But the 4AM call from the Imam (actually more than one) bursting through the loudspeakers gives me nightmares. The window is my only protection. And for another reminder of the season, Christmas decorations are up in every mall with – of course – the accompanying Christmas candy. I will need to see a dentist when I get home…

Speaking of which – seventeen more days in country. I’m trying not to get too excited. If you get too excited, then you can start letting things go at work… and saying things you might regret. That sudden freedom from the noose while you are still at your desk can be a bit too intoxicating. So I am just trying to focus on the work itself. And other things… Seems I may be getting a dog when I get home. How, you say? (Or more to the point – why?) Well, the same way any family gets a pet! Your child and the pet look up at you with Bambi eyes, that’s how! And yes – we do board two other dogs during the week. But it’s not OUR dog. (And we have such an enormous house – what else would we do with the space?)

Though I must admit, during the weeks I have been home this past year it has been strange not to have a resident dog. And this one was born right around the time Jules passed away, so I’m thinking….