Nick is on his way to Saudi today and he calls me from the airport. He says he feels like everyone is staring at him and to remind him never to wear shorts when flying to Saudi. About half an hour later he calls back and says that they made him put on pants. Luckily, he had his carry-on and was able to pull out a pair of pants. He felt pretty silly in his golf shirt and dress slacks.
For reason #1, ask Nick about his first trip to India.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Rock You Like a Hurricane!!!
Yeah, that's right, we went to the Scorpions concert the other night. It was awesome. I know everyone is jealous. It was actually very interesting. I saw a crowd like I've never seen in Dubai. I'm used to laborors, locals or snotty expats. At the concert I saw a crowd like you would expect at a "hair" band concert. And, the alcohol was flowing, which is usually a no-no in Muslim countries. The only places you see alcohol are the hotels. I don't know how the concert venue got permission. If people want to buy alcohol here, they have to get a special "alcoholics" license through the government. The legal blood alcohol level is 0. If you are caught driving drunk it is immediate prison time, which I totally agree with. By the way, I'm ashamed to admit that I have 3 Scorpions songs on my ipod - pathetic, I know. Anyway, here a couple of lame pictures:
As good of a picture as we could take from our seats.
A lovely picture of Nick and me. Not quite a sell-out crowd, as you can see.
10 Recommendations
We get this local newspaper once a week that has some interesting and funny articles and my sudoku puzzle that I look forward to. This week, there was an article discussing divorce in the UAE and how it is on the rise. At the end of the article was this list:
10 Recommendations Family Guidance and Reformation Department at the Dubai Courts gives to newly married couples:
Recommendations to wives
1. Men are different from women
2. Men are not talkative, so don’t nag
3. Men like to be the focus of a woman’s attention so don’t ignore them or make them feel unwanted
4. Men like to talk about their work, so don’t expect them to talk about everything you like
5. Men may have a hard time expressing their feelings, so don’t force them to say something they don’t want to say
6. Men by nature hate failure, so try not to criticise them
7. Men like to be alone when they get angry, so don’t intrude on their solitude
8. Men are capable of solving problems, so don’t impose your thoughts on them
9. Men don’t shop that much and they like a contented woman, so don’t be too demanding
10. Men like a woman who can satisfy their desires, so shower them with love and care as well as appreciation
Recommendations to husbands
1. Women are different from men
2. Women are more sensitive and emotional and expect your support all the time
3. Women like a man who flirts with them and satisfies them sexually
4. Women like to talk about themselves, so don’t criticise them
5. Women like shopping and spending money, so don’t be a miser. Try to offer her gifts and invite her to go out frequently
6. Women like to feel loved and cared for
7. Don’t think of committing adultery because it is very harsh on a woman’s feelings
8. Women like to be heard or listened to, so don’t stay away from your wife
9. Women’s moods and attitudes change during pregnancy and menstruation so take this into consideration
10. Women need a man to trust and rely on, so don’t disappoint her
Pretty sweet, huh? I told Nick he needs to stop being such a miser.
10 Recommendations Family Guidance and Reformation Department at the Dubai Courts gives to newly married couples:
Recommendations to wives
1. Men are different from women
2. Men are not talkative, so don’t nag
3. Men like to be the focus of a woman’s attention so don’t ignore them or make them feel unwanted
4. Men like to talk about their work, so don’t expect them to talk about everything you like
5. Men may have a hard time expressing their feelings, so don’t force them to say something they don’t want to say
6. Men by nature hate failure, so try not to criticise them
7. Men like to be alone when they get angry, so don’t intrude on their solitude
8. Men are capable of solving problems, so don’t impose your thoughts on them
9. Men don’t shop that much and they like a contented woman, so don’t be too demanding
10. Men like a woman who can satisfy their desires, so shower them with love and care as well as appreciation
Recommendations to husbands
1. Women are different from men
2. Women are more sensitive and emotional and expect your support all the time
3. Women like a man who flirts with them and satisfies them sexually
4. Women like to talk about themselves, so don’t criticise them
5. Women like shopping and spending money, so don’t be a miser. Try to offer her gifts and invite her to go out frequently
6. Women like to feel loved and cared for
7. Don’t think of committing adultery because it is very harsh on a woman’s feelings
8. Women like to be heard or listened to, so don’t stay away from your wife
9. Women’s moods and attitudes change during pregnancy and menstruation so take this into consideration
10. Women need a man to trust and rely on, so don’t disappoint her
Pretty sweet, huh? I told Nick he needs to stop being such a miser.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Nick's Dinner at the Burj Al Arab
Nick had dinner last night with 3 colleauges at the Burj Al Arab, the world's tallest and only 7-star hotel. Sadly, I was not invited. The bill came to $1700 for 4 people, not bad. There was a cocktail listed on the menu called the 27,324. The name is the price in Dirhams, roughly $7,500 for one drink. But you do get to keep the cup, which is made of gold. Sounds like a good deal. Also, a man came walking around with an open bottle of scotch dated 1847 with a handwritten label. Nick took a whiff and said it smelled like crap. For only 7,000 Dirhams ($1900) who wouldn't want a glass? Nick's sniff must have been at least $100. To get out to the Burj, which is on it's own man made island, Nick had to give a special passcode that was emailed to him. He felt pretty cool pulling up in his Mitsubishi Galant and parking next to the Rolls Royces, Bentleys, Ferraris and Lamborghinis, just to name a few. It's a rough life he leads. 
I know this is kind of a crappy picture, but it does show the Burj out on it's island and 2 of the kids, Drew of course and Bret making a sand mountain back to the right. This was about a month ago.
I know this is kind of a crappy picture, but it does show the Burj out on it's island and 2 of the kids, Drew of course and Bret making a sand mountain back to the right. This was about a month ago.
Gas Prices
I go to fill up my SUV (well, actually I don't do it myself - everything is full service) today and I can't help but think that I am lucky to be living in the Middle East right now. It seems that all I hear when I get a chance to watch American news, besides the whole Obama vs. Clinton thing that I am entirely sick of, is about how oil and gas reach record prices nearly every day. I filled up my Ford Explorer tank, which was on empty, for about $25. I don't know how that equates to dollars per gallon because here they use imperial gallons and I don't know how those compare to a US gallon, but I do know it would cost a whole lot more than $25 to fill up my tank. I also thought that the price hasn't changed since we got here. Nearly a year ago when we arrived, we were paying the same amount to fill the tank. Even with oil prices rising so rapidly the past few months, the price of gas still hasn't changed here. It just begs the question, where are all those record profits going??? Nick should have gone to work for Chevron after all.
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