I Resolve

Those darn resolutions... we all have good intentions don't we? At some point some of us are better at them than others. The ones chosen last year lasted for more than 6 months for me, but yes, eventually, one by one, they fell to the way side.

Holidays don't feel like holidays to me now. There is no trek over the hill country and through the barren woods to grandmother's house we go. Even though I have trekked over an ocean now, it just isn't the same. 

So Halloween came and went and was hardly a blip, even though I tried. A lonely pumpkin to be carved and some orange and black wrapped candy made it look a little bit like my favorite holiday, but not enough for it to feel like Halloween. 

Thanksgiving was a day of work for me and then a dinner in Abu Dhabi that was anything but traditional. I tried to make the most of it, but somehow it just wasn't. 

Christmas was great and everyone was festive. Having trekked over the pond to Lubbock Tx to spend time with people who are more my family than my family is/was, I enjoyed my time with Justin and Laura and especially Jacob. A child in the house creates magic that is hard to duplicate any other way. As much as it was close as it could get to looking like Christmas, complete with snow on the ground that morning, it just didn't feel like it to me. 

In a couple of weeks it will be my birthday. I don't dread the years or the numbers because there is no use in it, but I now dread the day... simply because I want my holidays back... I want to feel them, to be excited about them. 

I gave them up for a year when my mom died and now I want them back... and they haven't returned. 

So my only resolution this year is to find my festiveness for the occasion each and every time and make the most of it. I will feel festive, I will feel each and every hoidayish feeling and enjoy the little things associated with it. It may be only in my flat, with my friends, but it will be festive. 

A Pot To Pea In

I am a Texan.
I was born in Texas.
I lived in Texas all my life
until last August...

Nearly a half century, but not quite.
and nearly 50 pots of Blackeyed Peas
made on New Years day of each year.

My mom made them every year until she didn't.
When the passing of the torch was officially done
I don't remember
If you want your spoonful of good luck
you better make a good pot of peas

A fully equipped condo on the Texas Coast
has two different meanings
depending on who you are

To make a good pot of Black-eyed peas
pork, onions and simple seasoning of salt and pepper are involved

Having ridden the rental bike to the store
to retrieve said items
I returned to the condo to find
the one "pot" in the place
was a small half quart pot
that simply would not do

Thankfully a friend offered a pot for me to use

So here you go, the simple, good recipe for
Blackeyed Peas

1 large onion
Pork, either a ham bone with some meat on it, bacon (as much as you want, a third of a package of Hormel Black Label is what I use) or salt pork (my mom's favorite)
and a bag of Blackeyed peas, either dried or frozen or shelled fresh
If they are dried, soak them in water over night before cooking (if possible)

Cut up the onion,
put the peas in the pot with the onion
cover with water until about an inch over the peas
bring to a rolling boil
add the pork
salt and pepper
simmer with low rolling boil for at least a couple of hours

When peas are soft and brown they are probably done.
Add water as needed while cooking

Happy New Year everyone!

And Yes, Josh, you eat them on NEW YEAR'S DAY, and however many days after that the pot lasts. They are better the second day than the first.


and this year a big thank you to Pam for providing me a pot (big enough) to pea in !

Dreams Do Come True

Hopeless romantic is a term I have used many times to describe myself. As those who knew me as a teen would agree I would watch all the sappy love story movies and shows and wish that life was like a fairy tale or romantic movie. 

A few years ago a movie called Under the Tuscan Sun was added to my dvd collection that is less than 20 movies deep. I don't remember why I have it, or if it was one my mom had, but now it is mine. 

One of my favorite scenes is when the main character played by Diane Lane is reminded that all the things she wanted have come to pass... a house full of love, etc, even though they weren't in the form she might have thought. 

Once upon a time, in a land far away, a young (ahem) lady wished to have a kitchen in which to cook lovely homemade meals and someone to cook for. She longed for a view out her window that looked down on the city lights and out onto water. Her dreams and wishes for living on an island with friends were grand and her pocket book meager as she searched for an affordable home on the Texas coast. 

Being a social creature who enjoyed having someone to share a home. She thought it would be so nice to not have to eat alone and such a relief it would be to share her daily grind with someone at the end of the day. 

Lo and behold, just as she was giving up hope of anything coming of all her dreams, as they felt more than an arms length out of reach, her life changed. 

In what felt like a whirlwind romance, she was scooped up and moved to a land far away to work in the vocation of her life's calling. 

The home she was provided is on the 5th floor of the only two high rise buildings on a small island in the Arabian Gulf. Because of a housing shortage, all her compadres and coworkers would have to share housing, so she openly accepted a room mate who has turned out to be a blessing in disguise. 

Each day she comes home to a wonderful home with a view of the water, and looks out over the small town on a small island. The water view and the sea breeze take her breath away and calm her senses as she watches the sun set and the lights glisten in the night sky. 

Twice a week she cooks in her small but efficient kitchen for at least 3 people and sometimes up to 10 for the Dinner Club she started. 

On the weekend a drive to the beach and some time to read and relax are great therapy and help her ready herself for another week. 

She works hard, she listens to her room mates woes and triumphs and shares her own, and she enjoys her time with friends. 

She knows that no matter what comes next, if she makes the list, and puts the thought out there, there isn't anything that can stop her from living life happily ever after. 

It may not look exactly like I envisioned, but small details have to be added to the list to make it more exact... and the future ones for 2012 will have more details. I can't wait to see the results. 

How would you...

explain to someone who speaks limited English and is the UAE what Tulle is, because you want some for a display project?

describe a ribeye steak and what part of the "cow" (for lack of a word) that is...and how big you want it in kg instead of oz?

explain why you drink coffee in the morning after you get to work because it helps you wake up?

It seems they only drink when eating.

and a plethora of other ways to communicate in a different culture come to mind... these are only the ones from the last 30 minutes...


And...

why do I wonder why I am so tired at the end of the day... lol 

Eid Mubarak!

                                                                                                                                                                                   For Eid, a national religious holiday allowing me 3 extra days off this week, a trip to become more familiar with my surroundings was in order.
First stop, Abu Dhabi, a 5+ hour trip from home, for simple things, like a hair appointment and a splurge of a dinner and movie out on the town. Bright and early the next day, a drive north ( I think, I am so turned around having a coast line on the North side of the country and yet I look out my flat window to the south and see the marina) to Dubai. Surreal is the best word I can think of to describe the current of excitement running through me as the realization of what was ahead and how it seemed like a dream far from the reality I would have ever imagined for myself.
After two days of enjoying the sights, and barely scratching the surface of all the city has to offer, the road was before me again.
The second stop, Madinet Zayed to spend time with friends and see the sights of Liwa. As we drove down the street right behind her villa, through the bushes by the road we spotted camels and their keeper. A great photo op. On up the road we drove to where the camel races are held and an oasis of a hotel provided more ops for great shots. Then the red sands of Liwa. An amazingly overcast day with occasional sprinkles from the sky, good friends, new friends, and an adventuresome spirit created a wonderful experience to be remembered always. On the road less traveled back to the ferry port, time was taken to contemplate what brought me here... it couldn't be any better if it was a dream.

Still pinching myself even though I don't want to wake up.

Pumpkin Carving Party

Big J, and his bride, invited me to such a party one year, right after my mother died. I was reluctant to go, but at the same time, knew I should get out rather than moping around the house.
Not knowing what to expect, due to their son being one of my small charges during the week, I took some sodas, or cokes, or as they say for anything carbonated in the UAE, pepsi(s) and my favorite coconut flavored spirit... just in case.
It was a blast. There were small children there, but all the adults were indulging in the holiday spirit as well. It was good for me to get out.
Scary pumpkin faces all around.
Funny pumpkin faces were too.
Carving tools, messy guts, children laughing, adults having fun. It was a fun time and a tradition I chose to adopt, even if I couldn't be there with them for it.
So, Friday night, a small group of us gathered to enjoy our own party.
Pumpkins, as I know them, are hard to come by in the UAE. But don't doubt if I found one, even though it cost more than if I had bought 10 of them at home. (The saved seeds will grow many pumpkins for next year)
No fancy carving tools, no patterns other than what I could see on the computer screen and a little while later there was a jack-o-lantern on the table.
Looking evil, I was told he was.
Named him Darth Vader after my favorite pun'kin carving partner, Lil' J.

I have often wondered why I have really enjoyed this new tradition more than any other holiday and last night I figured it out. It is a new one, with no memories of past ones with my mother.
Having always loved the holidays, I hope to make new traditions and enjoy them once again... in this year and the next few.

A Week in Pictures

Wrong, In All The Right Ways

What a day.
Blaming it on Solar Flares...
Yes, Yes I am.

Some days you are the windshield, some days you are the bug.

Today was a buggy day.
So after having a bowl of potato soup and cruising my favorite websites, I turned on the TV. Chose to channel surf today. Stopped on a couple of show channels and nothing caught my interest. So then I chose VH1 and Pink started Raising a Glass to me.
It truly was the beginning of a flash back.
When I was 19 or so, MTV came on for the first time. It was, of course, all the rage. There was Martha Quinn and all my favorite songs with outrageous videos (for the time).
The one night that is extremely memorable was spent watching MTV with Robert Lockwood at one of his friends house.
We had been to the Paramount Club in Amarillo TX, dancing and having fun. After the club closed, we went to his friend's house to hang out. I can even remember what I was wearing, black jeans, and a hot pink and black striped shirt that was a knit pullover, with a plunging V-neck and puffy-topped long sleeves.
I only knew Robert a few days before this night and a few days later he moved to Japan with a bunch of marines.
I have thought of him many times over the years and always wondered "what if"... man I really made a mistake in losing him...

And then the conversation I had with my son this afternoon came to mind. We joked about making all our mistakes early in life so we could have them out of the way and not worry about doing stupid things, or making mistakes that hurt others later in our lives.
It really made me laugh. I wish it were true. Life would be so much simpler if it was.
So, yeah... the universe is talking to me today, and apparently, my son and others in my life as well.

What is the universe showing you today?

oh and the title of the post is from "Raise Your Glass" by Pink. It is a really cool song and a great video. 

Something to Write About... Part Two

Friday morning, bright and early, my flat mate and I boarded the ferry boat bound for the mainland. We chose to travel early rather than rush on Thursday afternoon and drive 3 or more hours in heavy traffic to Abu Dhabi.
We chose wisely.
The ferry left on time and was not crowded at all. Less than a dozen cars and not many more people. We were two of five women on the boat. It is an easy calculation because women sit in a different area than men on the ferry. The water was beautiful, the sunrise divine.
The waves were a bit rougher than I have experienced before, but we figured it might be due to how light the boat was without a full load.
After docking in Jebel Dhana and making our way to the main highway, her phone rang. A co-worker on the ferry let us know the ferrys had been cancelled for the rest of the day because of the rough sea due to wind.
Wow, weren't we lucky to have made it to the main land before that decision was made? Well, that is debatable.
There is always a long list of places and items to find in Abu Dhabi and priorities have to be made. So we took care of several things on Friday, like the Teacher's Place, Spinney's Supermarket, the furniture store, checking into the hotel for the evening, visiting with friends and eating a great meal.
Spinney's is a great Ex-pat store with many brands from the states and a "must" visit before heading back to the island. So, actually it was a recon mission to see what they had for Halloween.
It was a wonderful day that found me stating how happy I was for two main reasons: one was our GPSR or SAT NAV as my flat mate calls it, is very up to date, has a sexy man voice and took us to a new Spinney's we hadn't been to. The other was the radio station we had on was playing great music.
We chose wisely.
Saturday morning found us sleeping a bit late and heading out to make a few new places and then to IKEA before heading back to the Ferry.

Before we even made it to our first stop, there was a text and phone call.
The ferry was not going to run all day because of high winds.
WHAT? We need to work tomorrow morning...
We can try to fly in on Saturday, but the two flights are over booked by 15 people each. The ferry in the morning is at 8:15 am and we would need to be closer to it or get up at 4 to drive in the wee hours.
Or we could stay in Abu Dhabi for a day and take the plane on Sunday and miss a day of work...
Hmmmm it was a crap shoot. Who knew what would work.
I had friends closer to the ferry we could stay with and that would alleviate the need to drive too far and give us a chance to have a decent night's sleep.
If the ferry did run, we would be at work by 10 and be able to just be "late" and not "absent".

After 2 hours of contemplation, we chose to try to make it to the ferry. Knowing that if it didn't run we would need to drive back to Abu Dhabi, a three hour drive, to try to catch the plane and leave our car at the airport.
So, at 6 am, we were up and driving to the Jebel Dhana. When we arrived at the ticket counter, we didn't even ask if the ferry was running, we just gave them our documents and money and waited.
Then, after some discussion about car registration, that had never come up before, we were handed our tickets... WHEW!
We chose wisely again....
Home by 10, and at work.

A lesson learned, don't assume the ferry will run just because it has every other time you were traveling off the island.

Something to Write About...

On the way to Abu Dhabi, my flatmate said
"We have gotten so comfortable and nothing much has been going on, so I don't have much to write home about."
UGH!!!
Don't say that! was my first thought.
It has become clear to me, that when you put the thought out there, it seems to come to pass...

Sure enough. We should be home by now, sleeping in our own beds. But NO...
we now have something to write about.

Unfortunately, I will have to wait til tomorrow to write... it is after 10 pm here
and I have been driving all day and trying to figure out the best way to get home, to my warm, cozy comfy bed.
Goodnight, until it be morrow. 

On the Road Again

Tomorrow morning, my flat mate and I are driving to Abu Dhabi. The ferry ride alone is an hour and a half. Then three more hours to the heart of the city.
Funny how I always want less of a commute somewhere, and I end up driving 200 miles anyway...
This time I am taking the camera and an extra battery.
The ferry leaves at 6 am, so hopefully some great early morning shots from the boat.
The Grand Mosque was lit up blue last time we were there, so I am hoping it is again and to get some night time shots as well.
We will be down on the Corniche to look for some school supplies, so a new area to explore.
It is a short 36 hour "getaway" but it will be good to not have a full schedule of things to take care of...
I will be happy if all I do is have a pedicure and take some photos.

oh and, btw, still don't have the ticket booked for the Winter Holiday and I tried today for 2 hours... ugh!!!

Murphy's Law

For as many years as I have not lived in the Texas Panhandle, it was a given where I would be on just about every school holiday. My boys and I would travel to see and spend time with my mother, whose nickname was Ya.
Having lost her to cancer two years ago, I haven't, or should I say, we haven't had a holiday, of any kind, that felt like a true holiday. Now having said that... the friends that have been so wonderful to have me join them for holidays need to know that I truly enjoyed them... they were just different.
This year, as amazing as it still seems... I am not in the US or now affectionately referred to as "the states", but on the other side of the world in, what seems at the moment as "the endless summer".
My co-workers ask on a regular basis "Are you going home for Christmas?" and I have vacillated back and forth. I want to go home AND I want to see the world while I am on another continent, and see other continents as well.
One friend is going to India and the trip looks amazing and affordable. I was contemplating it until I heard my own voice while talking to a friend about it... and I was saying how it looked amazing, esp. for a 15 day trip. I remember while on my trip to Turkey, where we rarely stayed "still" for a second and we had a few nights in a row in different cities, it felt like we were constantly moving with luggage in tow. So 15 nights, each in a different spot to sleep didn't sound fun to me...
Back to my original thought of going to Germany for the Christmas markets and then on to the states with a return flight at the end of the holiday. I priced it and it was a 500 dollar difference in flights, so that doesn't seem like a huge cost for a flight to Germany and much less expensive than a round trip ticket.

Today I received an email from Southwest Airlines for the lowest fares I have seen since....  I don't know when. So I clicked on the link... and it won't load.
I click on another link,.... and it won't load.
I google Southwest .com and ... you guessed it... it won't load...
so I watch a show and wait for lunch hour in the Central Time zone to be over... thinking they are just busy...
because, once I am in "the states" i.e. the GREAT STATE of TEXAS, I would like to fly to three cities, Lubbock, San Antonio and Corpus Christi and cheap flights would be wonderful, otherwise I might be renting a car and driving.
and now,
now that is late night here, (for me after 9 is late)
and after lunch in Texas,

yes, you guessed it....
the page won't load, and no matter what link I use, it ain't happening tonight...

Murphy's Law, I made a decision and now it isn't executable... well,
at least
Not Tonight

I will try again in the morning...
don't you dare buy up all the tickets before I get one...lol

Green Chiles? I don't need no stinkin' green chilies...

The island is a great place to find fresh fruit and vegetables, some of it is even grown here and not shipped in. However there are comfort food dishes I make that require some ingredients I haven't found on the island, or in Abu Dhabi.
You guessed... a small can of green chilies is a normal ingredient in a traditional family "Mexican Casserole" dish my mother taught me how to make.
Jumping up and down in the Hypermarket clapping my hands and squealing YES, YES, YES was probably the closest I have been to resembling Meg Ryan in When Harry Met Sally... and that was just over finding Old El Paso Red Enchilada Sauce. Of course, I would have preferred Hatch green enchilada sauce, but I knew that wasn't going to happen.
All of the other ingredients fell into place, even Tostito Rounds, which I paid a very pretty dirham for. In the end, it was worth it, and the casserole was tasty, as the empty bowls attest. It is great to have others over to dinner and have them enjoy the food. In the end, I used a can of Rotel, which had me doing the happy dance in the store aisle as well. (it truly is the "little things" that make life grand)
One of my dinner guests has been harping on me to take pictures of all the food I am making that is "western food" and not local food. I think I want to make some local dishes and learn some new recipes and take pictures of them.

Tonight, my flat mate and I went out to eat, because local food sounded good to me. An amazing dish with lentils, couscous (or a rice I don't know), pasta, chick peas, tomato sauce, fried onions, some other beans I don't know, and a spicy sauce. It is quite tasty, and a dish that could easily have fed 4 people. I also gambled on a dish that simply said "Spinach and Meat". A bottle of water to wash it all down and it was a grand total of 18 dirhams. If you calculate the exchange rate, I paid less than 5 USD for it. My camera was not in hand tonight, but next time it will be. 

Sunday Snippits

The Grand Mosque