So, last Sunday (a week ago), I came home from work (work week is Sunday to Thursday), tired, but I had everything in place to pick up my new car.
The anticipation and excitement were lack luster. I thought about putting it off a day… but then the salesman called and asked when I would be there.
I am on my way to pick up paperwork from him and come back home to meet a friend who knows where the UAE version of the DMV is. She meets me out front and we are off to get the license plates. A number machine and 3 counters later, we have the plates (no choices on numbers or style) and are on our way to get the car.
It is dark, just after 6 pm and the next step was the hardest. I had to sit and listen to all the great service that will come with the car before I was able to sit in it.
An eternity, ok, an hour, ok, 20 minutes later I finally was in my car, looking over all the amenities and getting to know it.
Finally, I pulled out of the dealership and onto the street, thinking… OMG what have I done now? I am finally settling into life in Abu Dhabi. What can I say, I am a late bloomer.
My friends who want me home, don't get too discouraged, things change on a dime here, and you never know what is around the corner. I will be home before you know it (after 24 payments).
Sunday, November 29, 2015
Sunday, November 15, 2015
Car Purchasing at it's Finest
Last Wednesday I walked into a car dealership in Abu Dhabi. I had pretty much already made up my mind what I was going to do… little did I know what would ensue.
So after meandering around the showroom looking at the podiums next to each car with the price (better known as the sticker price) and the specs for each vehicle, I was finally approached by the only other soul in sight.
After learning I wasn't sure what I wanted but I had a friend who owned a Jetta and I really liked it, he proceeded to give me the comparison of a Jetta and a Passat.
I interrupted to let him know I wasn't interested in a bigger car unless it was somewhat of an SUV, my interests were:
Power to get up and go (to get out of the way of the speed demons (and I drive fast myself))
Sunroof
cruise control
arm rest
comfortable seat with enough leg room
usb port
and I asked what car colors were available other than white, black, brown, and silver.
and no, gas mileage was not something that came to mind, and it was also not anywhere on the spec sheet.
I also forgot to mention that I wanted a great stereo system as I want to turn my music up loud… which I have noticed is something else I don't see here, car stereo shops for speakers.
So after ascertaining there was a Blue Jetta with white and black leather interior (actually leatherette, whatever that is) and a Red Tiguan with beige interior, I decided to go for a test drive.
The only vehicle I could drive was a brown Jetta but with all the same amenities of the blue one.
The Tiguan was not available to drive until next week.
After 20 minutes of waiting, he drove up in front of the building in the Jetta and we took it for a spin.
Rear camera, sun roof, adjustable arm rest for the driver, cruise control, adjustable seat for my long legs, blue tooth, memory card, usb, 6 cd changer (guess I will be buying some now) and so much more… I liked it
So when we sat down after the test drive, I asked about the Tiguan, and he basically talked me out of a vehicle that cost more than 10 grand USD more by asking why I wanted it for that much more money and did I need an SUV….
30 minutes later, after learning how they take a deposit on the car (2000 aed or about 540 USD), I have to get a check from the bank, email the loan officer at the bank a copy of my Emirates ID, my passport, my visa and a salary certificate from my employer stating what I make.
Then I pay 20 percent down, my insurance for a year up front and for the window tinting of the vehicle to be done by the time I pick it up.
Then after he processes all the paper work, I left with the agreement paper and the specs of the car.
A trip to the bank ensues to order ONE check, as I have to write a check for the full amount of the car and sign it. They will hold it until I pay off the car.
Ordering a check is a 2-4 day process. I wait to talk to a business teller and he has to copy my emirates id front and back, fill out a form and have me sign it. A courier deliver service will bring it to me after it is processed.
They sent an sms to me 2 days in to arrange delivery.
I emailed the paper work to the loan officer.
After I get the check (today), I am to call the loan officer and set up a time to meet to sign the loan, etc.
Then I can go back to the dealership to get everything signed and in order and the dealership will then process the car for delivery which will take 2 days.
My friends tell me that when the car is ready, I will go to the dealership, get all the paperwork for the registration and license plates and take it to the equivalent of the DMV to pick up the tags. Then I have to take them back to the dealership to have them install them.
THEN I will have my car and drive it home.
We are 6 days in… I can now tell people why I haven't purchased a car here before now…
I know you are jealous that you don't get to have all the fun, but now you know what it takes to buy a car in the UAE.
So after meandering around the showroom looking at the podiums next to each car with the price (better known as the sticker price) and the specs for each vehicle, I was finally approached by the only other soul in sight.
After learning I wasn't sure what I wanted but I had a friend who owned a Jetta and I really liked it, he proceeded to give me the comparison of a Jetta and a Passat.
I interrupted to let him know I wasn't interested in a bigger car unless it was somewhat of an SUV, my interests were:
Power to get up and go (to get out of the way of the speed demons (and I drive fast myself))
Sunroof
cruise control
arm rest
comfortable seat with enough leg room
usb port
and I asked what car colors were available other than white, black, brown, and silver.
and no, gas mileage was not something that came to mind, and it was also not anywhere on the spec sheet.
I also forgot to mention that I wanted a great stereo system as I want to turn my music up loud… which I have noticed is something else I don't see here, car stereo shops for speakers.
So after ascertaining there was a Blue Jetta with white and black leather interior (actually leatherette, whatever that is) and a Red Tiguan with beige interior, I decided to go for a test drive.
The only vehicle I could drive was a brown Jetta but with all the same amenities of the blue one.
The Tiguan was not available to drive until next week.
After 20 minutes of waiting, he drove up in front of the building in the Jetta and we took it for a spin.
Rear camera, sun roof, adjustable arm rest for the driver, cruise control, adjustable seat for my long legs, blue tooth, memory card, usb, 6 cd changer (guess I will be buying some now) and so much more… I liked it
So when we sat down after the test drive, I asked about the Tiguan, and he basically talked me out of a vehicle that cost more than 10 grand USD more by asking why I wanted it for that much more money and did I need an SUV….
30 minutes later, after learning how they take a deposit on the car (2000 aed or about 540 USD), I have to get a check from the bank, email the loan officer at the bank a copy of my Emirates ID, my passport, my visa and a salary certificate from my employer stating what I make.
Then I pay 20 percent down, my insurance for a year up front and for the window tinting of the vehicle to be done by the time I pick it up.
Then after he processes all the paper work, I left with the agreement paper and the specs of the car.
A trip to the bank ensues to order ONE check, as I have to write a check for the full amount of the car and sign it. They will hold it until I pay off the car.
Ordering a check is a 2-4 day process. I wait to talk to a business teller and he has to copy my emirates id front and back, fill out a form and have me sign it. A courier deliver service will bring it to me after it is processed.
They sent an sms to me 2 days in to arrange delivery.
I emailed the paper work to the loan officer.
After I get the check (today), I am to call the loan officer and set up a time to meet to sign the loan, etc.
Then I can go back to the dealership to get everything signed and in order and the dealership will then process the car for delivery which will take 2 days.
My friends tell me that when the car is ready, I will go to the dealership, get all the paperwork for the registration and license plates and take it to the equivalent of the DMV to pick up the tags. Then I have to take them back to the dealership to have them install them.
THEN I will have my car and drive it home.
We are 6 days in… I can now tell people why I haven't purchased a car here before now…
I know you are jealous that you don't get to have all the fun, but now you know what it takes to buy a car in the UAE.
Wednesday, November 11, 2015
Decision Made
For the last four years I have lived abroad in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. For the most part it has been ok. Well, not ok in the sense that it was easy… it wasn't. It isn't. But the last 14 months have been the best I have had since I arrived.
School reform and changing from a third world to a first world country takes time, patience and, with out saying… education. The road is long and the end of it is not in sight. I doubt I am here to see it.
Should I stay, or should I go? One of my favorite dance tunes and lyrics has been my mantra of late.
The original plan was the two year contract with hopes of it lasting 5 years.
The end of this year will be 5 years.
I bought a house in my home town in Texas, 3 ish years ago, so I added a year to get it paid for before I leave (5 year loan).
Most of my friends have gone, making new friends requires more here than you could ever expect… so not an easy task.
In August, some friends of mine asked me to watch their dog while they were out of town, oh and drive their car until they returned in 3 weeks. They have a VW Jetta. I liked it, I liked it a lot.
I did.
I told them I hadn't considered a VW as a car choice (unless it was a vintage one) until I drove theirs.
They got a great deal, on 0% financing and said it was a promotion that comes around in the fall.
Last week, as I was driving to work in my rented POS that is the cheapest I can get, and even for a Honda, is like driving a cracker box.
No cruise control
No USB port
No Window tinting (really important in the hot desert)
No camera or backing up warning signals
No road noise reduction
No sunroof (I know, silly me, even in the desert I want one)
No arm rest
No No No
but I digress, as I was driving to work, the advertisement for the VW promotion was playing on the radio.
Without missing a beat, I said, out loud "I am buying a car".
The bigger picture?
I am staying at least two more years, which means three school years including this one. Maybe more.
I could go home, and I know plenty of people who have. Many who are doing fine and many who wish they hadn't left.
I cannot work the hours I work, live with the low bills I have and make the money I make here if I move home to Texas. So… work more hours, make less money, probably not teaching as they don't want to pay me for my years… ? why would I do that?
So yes, I made a decision. I bought a 2016 Volkswagen Jetta, Blue with white and black leather interior and I haven't even seen it in person yet.
School reform and changing from a third world to a first world country takes time, patience and, with out saying… education. The road is long and the end of it is not in sight. I doubt I am here to see it.
Should I stay, or should I go? One of my favorite dance tunes and lyrics has been my mantra of late.
The original plan was the two year contract with hopes of it lasting 5 years.
The end of this year will be 5 years.
I bought a house in my home town in Texas, 3 ish years ago, so I added a year to get it paid for before I leave (5 year loan).
Most of my friends have gone, making new friends requires more here than you could ever expect… so not an easy task.
In August, some friends of mine asked me to watch their dog while they were out of town, oh and drive their car until they returned in 3 weeks. They have a VW Jetta. I liked it, I liked it a lot.
I did.
I told them I hadn't considered a VW as a car choice (unless it was a vintage one) until I drove theirs.
They got a great deal, on 0% financing and said it was a promotion that comes around in the fall.
Last week, as I was driving to work in my rented POS that is the cheapest I can get, and even for a Honda, is like driving a cracker box.
No cruise control
No USB port
No Window tinting (really important in the hot desert)
No camera or backing up warning signals
No road noise reduction
No sunroof (I know, silly me, even in the desert I want one)
No arm rest
No No No
but I digress, as I was driving to work, the advertisement for the VW promotion was playing on the radio.
Without missing a beat, I said, out loud "I am buying a car".
The bigger picture?
I am staying at least two more years, which means three school years including this one. Maybe more.
I could go home, and I know plenty of people who have. Many who are doing fine and many who wish they hadn't left.
I cannot work the hours I work, live with the low bills I have and make the money I make here if I move home to Texas. So… work more hours, make less money, probably not teaching as they don't want to pay me for my years… ? why would I do that?
So yes, I made a decision. I bought a 2016 Volkswagen Jetta, Blue with white and black leather interior and I haven't even seen it in person yet.
Friday, January 16, 2015
Getting Started #NewYearNewMe
January 9, 2015, I gave up processed sugar
January 14, I gave up wheat flour
If you know me, you know I love sweets and for the last few years I haven't had any reason I could find to stop eating them... no men to impress. Wearing loose clothes and fully covering my body for work made it easy to not pay attention to the weight I was gaining. Stress. From. Work. the last TWO years.
This school year is great, the stress is "normal" work stress and life is good...
Then I looked down...
WHERE THE HELL DID ALL THIS FAT COME FROM?
Ugh!
So, #NewYearNewMe is in full force.
The idea is to whittle down the sugar to nearly non existence, stay off it in entirety for 3 weeks, then add it back in with healthy choices.
One step at the time. The next step is Dairy. It will occur next week.
I haven't really had any big cravings, just one on my last day of work this week, Red Velvet Cupcakes from the local grocer. They are my new favorite.
That quickly went away as I was planning my salad for the afternoon with roasted pecans, strawberries and pineapple.
I imagine the hardest part will be when I give up the fruit. We will see.
January 14, I gave up wheat flour
If you know me, you know I love sweets and for the last few years I haven't had any reason I could find to stop eating them... no men to impress. Wearing loose clothes and fully covering my body for work made it easy to not pay attention to the weight I was gaining. Stress. From. Work. the last TWO years.
This school year is great, the stress is "normal" work stress and life is good...
Then I looked down...
WHERE THE HELL DID ALL THIS FAT COME FROM?
Ugh!
So, #NewYearNewMe is in full force.
The idea is to whittle down the sugar to nearly non existence, stay off it in entirety for 3 weeks, then add it back in with healthy choices.
One step at the time. The next step is Dairy. It will occur next week.
I haven't really had any big cravings, just one on my last day of work this week, Red Velvet Cupcakes from the local grocer. They are my new favorite.
That quickly went away as I was planning my salad for the afternoon with roasted pecans, strawberries and pineapple.
I imagine the hardest part will be when I give up the fruit. We will see.
Sunday, January 11, 2015
I Admit It, I Am Addicted
That's right. I have an addiction that is truly harmful to me. I am addicted to sugar. It is causing me great harm in the shape of my body and will possibly lead to worse scenarios if I don't do something about it now.
My first step started a while back. I stopped drinking soda, pop, cokes, specifically Diet Coke. I then reverted to Coke, once living overseas where they are still made with sugar not corn syrup. I have cut back on them considerably, even though I wasn't drinking that many (3-4 a week). Now it is a rare treat and I no longer crave them.
My next step is to cut out all processed sugar. Cakes, candy, cookies, chocolate, and sugar in my tea or coffee (the hardest to deal with). I am still eating fruit and limited amounts of bread/potatoes and they will be the next to go.
So far I have made it two days. Is there a two day chip? I deserve one! lol I am hoping to stay off it until I am through the full 3 steps, with fruit being the last to be eliminated, about a total of a month, but we will just have to see how it goes and if I fall off the wagon.
It hasn't been overly tempting at this point. At least most people at work are dieting, so there aren't many sweets in plain sight to call my name.
The headache has come... the crabbiness has increased... pray for those around me until it all subsides.
My first step started a while back. I stopped drinking soda, pop, cokes, specifically Diet Coke. I then reverted to Coke, once living overseas where they are still made with sugar not corn syrup. I have cut back on them considerably, even though I wasn't drinking that many (3-4 a week). Now it is a rare treat and I no longer crave them.
My next step is to cut out all processed sugar. Cakes, candy, cookies, chocolate, and sugar in my tea or coffee (the hardest to deal with). I am still eating fruit and limited amounts of bread/potatoes and they will be the next to go.
So far I have made it two days. Is there a two day chip? I deserve one! lol I am hoping to stay off it until I am through the full 3 steps, with fruit being the last to be eliminated, about a total of a month, but we will just have to see how it goes and if I fall off the wagon.
It hasn't been overly tempting at this point. At least most people at work are dieting, so there aren't many sweets in plain sight to call my name.
The headache has come... the crabbiness has increased... pray for those around me until it all subsides.
Friday, January 9, 2015
New Life, New Me
So excited to look forward to a great new year. 2014 started off rough and ended up great. I am hoping 2015 ends up as great as it has started out.
I love my job.
I am happy where I am.
I need to do some remodeling of me, other than that... everything is PERFECT.
Now if any of you have ever done some remodeling, you know you start with peeling back to the bare bones and rebuilding.
So... This year is all about utilizing strategies to make healthy new habits part of my life and letting go of unhealthy habits.
One of my new strategies is to write daily. Either here or pen and paper.
Happy New Year Everyone.
I love my job.
I am happy where I am.
I need to do some remodeling of me, other than that... everything is PERFECT.
Now if any of you have ever done some remodeling, you know you start with peeling back to the bare bones and rebuilding.
So... This year is all about utilizing strategies to make healthy new habits part of my life and letting go of unhealthy habits.
One of my new strategies is to write daily. Either here or pen and paper.
Happy New Year Everyone.
Thursday, November 14, 2013
Reconstructing My Life
My little house on the prairie is coming right along
at a snail's pace. Which may be the case for the rest of my life.
Change takes time.
Change takes money.
Change takes willingness to accept change.
Humans, for the most part, fight change.
I know I do.
As I plan the steps and the order of what to "do" next is constantly changing,
the revelation of how it is the same as my life came to mind.
When I first came over to the Sand Box, I had a number of years in mind (5) and a monetary amount affixed to my thinking of when this adventure would end.
Last week… after getting a restoration bid (way more money than I will pay for a restored kitchen, but I will have a professional do the bathroom) for my little house on the prairie, the re-evaluation of my original thinking began.
I work half as much as I did in Texas. I work just as hard, or harder, but half as much time is spent at my work.
My pay is more than any job I had in Texas, and my housing is paid for.
THAT IS ALMOST TWICE WHAT I MADE IN TEXAS.
So that is twice as much compensation for half as much time.
Why am I counting the years or the monetary amount? Silliness.
This adventure will end when it is time for it to end.
Hopefully I will have a beautifully restored home and a fat bank account when it does, but just as everyone's ideas of "what is in store for me next" changes,
so does life, and here, in the shifting sands, it can happen before you know what hit you.
In the mean time, it is time to reconstruct me. Letting my hair grow out in it's natural color for the first time is nearly 30 years (started going gray in my early 20's). Finding my new hobbies which can be followed in any country in the world, and revising my musical enjoyment that has gone to the wayside and is not healthy for me.
It isn't that I don't want to return to my home country, state, or town, I just want to make the most of this adventure called life and see where it goes without the previous preconceived notions of what it has to be, or what it can't be… It can be whatever we make of it.
I will ride these sand dunes as long as they will let me…
What will you do?
at a snail's pace. Which may be the case for the rest of my life.
Change takes time.
Change takes money.
Change takes willingness to accept change.
Humans, for the most part, fight change.
I know I do.
As I plan the steps and the order of what to "do" next is constantly changing,
the revelation of how it is the same as my life came to mind.
When I first came over to the Sand Box, I had a number of years in mind (5) and a monetary amount affixed to my thinking of when this adventure would end.
Last week… after getting a restoration bid (way more money than I will pay for a restored kitchen, but I will have a professional do the bathroom) for my little house on the prairie, the re-evaluation of my original thinking began.
I work half as much as I did in Texas. I work just as hard, or harder, but half as much time is spent at my work.
My pay is more than any job I had in Texas, and my housing is paid for.
THAT IS ALMOST TWICE WHAT I MADE IN TEXAS.
So that is twice as much compensation for half as much time.
Why am I counting the years or the monetary amount? Silliness.
This adventure will end when it is time for it to end.
Hopefully I will have a beautifully restored home and a fat bank account when it does, but just as everyone's ideas of "what is in store for me next" changes,
so does life, and here, in the shifting sands, it can happen before you know what hit you.
In the mean time, it is time to reconstruct me. Letting my hair grow out in it's natural color for the first time is nearly 30 years (started going gray in my early 20's). Finding my new hobbies which can be followed in any country in the world, and revising my musical enjoyment that has gone to the wayside and is not healthy for me.
It isn't that I don't want to return to my home country, state, or town, I just want to make the most of this adventure called life and see where it goes without the previous preconceived notions of what it has to be, or what it can't be… It can be whatever we make of it.
I will ride these sand dunes as long as they will let me…
What will you do?
Saturday, October 19, 2013
That Looks Better... and it SHOULD
Before Pictures
The front of the house was neat enough, but the shrubbery and ivy around the front door were a liability if anyone was thinking about breaking in. Although, I have to say, there isn't anything inside, so no need to break in.
Welcome to the garden area that will not be a garden.
A sundry of odds and ends (mostly trash)
Wood, windows, bad fencing
A cedar tree hiding a tree with a bad trim job and an ugly alley.
The AFTER Pictures... after 1 K worth of work by someone else.
Brush and Cedar tree removed, along with all ivy off the house.
The two junk piles cleaned up. The fencing has also been removed even though in this pic it is still there.
The view from the back door now.
Where the salvageable wood lives now. (BTW, that is the well house... yes, water well)
Friday, October 18, 2013
Foodie Friday
Stress relief in cooking. Others often tell me it makes them more stressful, but for me it just takes my thoughts to something simple... food. This morning I saw this great idea for breakfast.
They were enjoyed by all brunch guests...
The hollandaise would have been better if I had not used ghee and had used unsalted butter, but I didn't have any.
So I started with knowing I didn't have any spinach, but I did have bacon, smoked salmon, English muffins, and enough eggs to make poached eggs and hollandaise sauce.
Here are the pictures in progression and the final product. Not quite as beautiful as the one above, but still very tasty.
The eggs here are that much orange-er than eggs in the states, and much tastier too.
Fresh lemon juice for the hollandaise
Melting the Ghee
Plate garnish and a bit of flavor to add to the dish.
Not as much as salmon as in the inspirational picture but still just as tasty.
Mixing in the ghee
Toasted the muffins with cheese and smoked salmon to prepare them for the eggs and sauce.
It has been a long time since I poached eggs but I thought they turned out pretty well.
The hollandaise would have been better if I had not used ghee and had used unsalted butter, but I didn't have any.
Thursday, October 17, 2013
Saturday, October 12, 2013
Home Sweet Home
I bought a house.
I bought a house a year ago.
I have yet to live in the house.
I probably won't live in it until it is paid for (5 year note), but shhhh don't tell anyone that it is not occupied at the moment.
In the mean time, I am updating, remodeling, refurbishing it.
It is a small house.
It is a small cozy house, just the right size with plenty of land for crazy ideas.
Here is my house when I bought it.
I bought a house a year ago.
I have yet to live in the house.
I probably won't live in it until it is paid for (5 year note), but shhhh don't tell anyone that it is not occupied at the moment.
In the mean time, I am updating, remodeling, refurbishing it.
It is a small house.
It is a small cozy house, just the right size with plenty of land for crazy ideas.
Here is my house when I bought it.
It has a red roof now. One day it will have newly painted trim. I haven't decided on a color yet. I did choose the red roof because it felt like that should be the color of an original stucco farm house. When the previous owner gave me a set of pictures of the house, low and behold, the roof was red when she bought it.
So among my many ramblings, there will be stories of my house and the trip we are making together to become my oasis, when I leave the Sahara for another one.
See, just looking at this picture I get excited about all the possibilities, without taking away from the original style and grace of a handmade home by a local man who married one of the girls of the town's namesake family.
Welcome to my home.
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
What You Don't Know Can Hurt You
Fried Chicken cooked in Crisco with gravy made with Gold Medal Flour, Sweet tea make with Pure Cane Sugar and fresh potatoes mashed with Plains Dairy Milk and Country Crock spread. One of my favorite meals my mother would cook. As I grew up and became my own cook, I did the same. From an early age, I learned the brands she preferred and I bought them too. Never a thought crossed my mind that the companies I was doing business with had anything other than my best interests at heart. A huge mistake that many people have made as well.
As I wandered the aisles of a grocery store in the UAE and found some of my favorite brands, a sadness like I have never known came over me.
In the US so many of my favorite brands have gone to the dark side. Guided or prodded by the lure of money, the corruption of government by giant companies that are changing our world right under our noses while we were not paying attention to it or reading the labels on our food products. Now we let them stuff us full of corn syrup grown from the worst grade of corn in the world. We are choked with corn syrup sugars in most of the products we ingest, and many of the ones you would least expect.
After some friends told me about how all of the sugar beets in the US are now genetically modified and they only buy organic sugar now, I decided to check out the local sugar packaging. Sure enough, all of it is organic, made from sugar cane and not from anywhere near the USA. A local woman asked me why I wasn't buying the sugar but I was reading the bag, she was scared to buy it because I didn't. I explained I didn't need sugar, I just wanted to know what was in it and where it was from. She looked at me like I was crazy as she plopped the bag of sugar in her basket.
The green signs above all the produce announced their country of origin... Tunisia, North Africa, Australia, and India, to name a few. My thoughts flit from one scenario to another as I look for basics to get back in the groove after my month long holiday. Everyone asked me how long I would stay overseas when I was in the US and I couldn't honestly answer. I am almost scared to return to the US, and I am very comfortable where I am. Yet I continue to plan on making a home in my hometown upon my return.
I prefer this cleaner world, that is not so clean. The fruits and vegetables don't look perfect or stay fresh for weeks, but they taste so good. They contain only what Mother Nature intended and they haven't been "changed" by a corporation who just wanted to make money off the hard working farmers who grew the produce.
Money is the root of all evil, and it will be the end of us as a Nation in the US of A. Fight, fight for your lives, for what is right, for a better world and not the one we have let a select few choose for us. Don't wait, don't sit and let someone else do it. Even if it is small, do something.
As I wandered the aisles of a grocery store in the UAE and found some of my favorite brands, a sadness like I have never known came over me.
In the US so many of my favorite brands have gone to the dark side. Guided or prodded by the lure of money, the corruption of government by giant companies that are changing our world right under our noses while we were not paying attention to it or reading the labels on our food products. Now we let them stuff us full of corn syrup grown from the worst grade of corn in the world. We are choked with corn syrup sugars in most of the products we ingest, and many of the ones you would least expect.
After some friends told me about how all of the sugar beets in the US are now genetically modified and they only buy organic sugar now, I decided to check out the local sugar packaging. Sure enough, all of it is organic, made from sugar cane and not from anywhere near the USA. A local woman asked me why I wasn't buying the sugar but I was reading the bag, she was scared to buy it because I didn't. I explained I didn't need sugar, I just wanted to know what was in it and where it was from. She looked at me like I was crazy as she plopped the bag of sugar in her basket.
The green signs above all the produce announced their country of origin... Tunisia, North Africa, Australia, and India, to name a few. My thoughts flit from one scenario to another as I look for basics to get back in the groove after my month long holiday. Everyone asked me how long I would stay overseas when I was in the US and I couldn't honestly answer. I am almost scared to return to the US, and I am very comfortable where I am. Yet I continue to plan on making a home in my hometown upon my return.
I prefer this cleaner world, that is not so clean. The fruits and vegetables don't look perfect or stay fresh for weeks, but they taste so good. They contain only what Mother Nature intended and they haven't been "changed" by a corporation who just wanted to make money off the hard working farmers who grew the produce.
Money is the root of all evil, and it will be the end of us as a Nation in the US of A. Fight, fight for your lives, for what is right, for a better world and not the one we have let a select few choose for us. Don't wait, don't sit and let someone else do it. Even if it is small, do something.
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Thought for the Day
However, if thinking of eating is the same as eating, then I am guilty as charged.
Today is the first time I am attempting to fast for 24 hours in order to improve my health and lose weight.
Here is how it all started... before you say anything, hear me out.
Every time I see a doctor, my lab results, my blood pressure, my oxygen saturation levels, everything, I mean EVERYTHING, comes back in "NORMAL" range, what ever that is...
until...
TODAY
Last week whilst
Hmmm do I think I have diabetes or high cholesterol? Uh... NO and probably...
So the lab calls this morning.
"Miss Cindy?" (a woman of asian or Philippino descent, you do the accent, it makes it worth it)
"Yes"
"Miss Cindy?"
"Yes, I am Miss Cindy"
"Miss Cindy, this is blah blah blah from Dr. Dah dah dah's office"
long pause
"Yes?"
"Yes..."
"Ok, are you calling about an appt?"
"Miss Cindy, you had lab work done?"
"Oh yes, I did"
"Miss Cindy, your lab work has come back and Dr. Dah Dah Dah would like you to make an appt. to see her and she can give you your lab results."
Ok, right about here I am thinking... I have never had a call like this before.. Shit, I am getting old and am going to have to start taking better care of this shell I am hauling around with me... CRAP! I HAVE DREADED THIS DAY ALL MY LIFE AND NOW IT IS HERE... EXPLETIVE EXPLETIVE!
"um, can't you just give the results to me over the phone? I don't live close to Abu Dhabi and it will be a few weeks before I come back to the city... "
* stall... talk her into the info... act like it is impossible... stall...
"Miss Cindy, I do not have your results in front of me..."
*crap, it was worth a try
"It is not an emergency, but the doctor would like to see you..."
*whew, it is the cholesterol probably
"would you like to make an appt Miss Cindy?"
"No, I will just call when I get to Abu Dhabi in a few weeks...."
*don't make an appt., get off the phone, be polite
*hurriedly
"Thank you for calling, I will make the appt. blah blah blah, bubye"
CLICK
SEVERAL EXPLETIVES
Then I forgot about it...
Until I got home from work
Hey, a friend of mine sent me a link to a video about a man who wanted to start watching his health as he was getting
http://www.disclose.tv/action/viewvideo/110651/BBC_Horizon_2012_Eat_Fast_and_Live_Longer/
So... when did I last eat something and what was it?
A breakfast bar and a little peach cobbler I made last night, and about 10 am.
Hmmm, I can wait til tomorrow morning to eat again, piece of cake right? NO, glass of water.
Now usually, I can sit and read and surf and watch and talk and I don't think I eat or drink while I do those for an entire evening or not much...
I have now figured out, at 8 pm in the evening, my thoughts turn to food about every 10 minutes if I think I can't have any... however, in the video it is stated that if you wait 15 minutes, the hunger thoughts will end.
Hmmm, I am not a mathematician, even though I play one with 5 year olds, but even I can figure out THAT DOESN'T ADD UP.
So, let's do some Pinning (yes I am addicted)
hmmm, how many food pins did I "Pin It"? I don't know,
Ok, that wasn't a good idea. Let's watch a movie... oh look, they are picking apples, and crabs.. yeah, it is all about the food for me.
Now it is late, and I am sleepy, so after my revelation of how much food does rule my life and the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
I am going to make it. Of course, I still have my head in the sand about the lab results. Please don't take my bacon away, or my peach cobbler.
My momma, bless her soul, had a hunger for good food right up to the end, of course, it was the tumors in her head making her think she was hungry. Or was that just what she told me so I wouldn't give up the good
My body is a temple and it is high time I started treating it that way.
Now if my will can overcome temptation.
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Teach Me
Kumquats are something I have had never tried. While traipsing around Abu Dhabi in search of beets and fennel for her salads, my friend picked these up at the local Lulu's. As we were leaving she grabs the package out of the bag in shopping cart, tears open the plastic and plucks one out.
"Here, try this." she states in a calm demeanor.
In no way preparing me for the explosion of flavor and confusion about to overcome my taste buds.
The contorted look of exponential sour-ness on my face tells her some explanation is in order.
Yep, tried my first kumquat, like the nickname "squats" another friend taught me, and liken them to natures own sour gummy, and better for you.
Margaritas you say? why yes, that is a great idea for them as well.
A tree I can have in my garden? even better.
Going "All In"
Why make a simple decision difficult?
Because it is what I do best, and unintentionally.
As I rose out of an incredible slumber this morning, a brave decision was made. My little Shasta will come home with me in July/ August, and roost in it's new home until our next great adventure.
What should we see on our way down Route 66 from Chicago? or while we are Niagara Falls? or when we traipse through the southern part of Canada on our way to Chicago, just so we can say we were in Canada?
Let me know and cheer us on... it might be a one woman show... unless you want to tag along.
It will be an adventure for sure... and after all, shouldn't life be about the journey, not the destination?
Because it is what I do best, and unintentionally.
As I rose out of an incredible slumber this morning, a brave decision was made. My little Shasta will come home with me in July/ August, and roost in it's new home until our next great adventure.
What should we see on our way down Route 66 from Chicago? or while we are Niagara Falls? or when we traipse through the southern part of Canada on our way to Chicago, just so we can say we were in Canada?
Let me know and cheer us on... it might be a one woman show... unless you want to tag along.
It will be an adventure for sure... and after all, shouldn't life be about the journey, not the destination?
Friday, February 1, 2013
February Fools Day
Rough week. REALLY ROUGH week.
So after almost three months of no posts, here is one.
So, what do you think?
Are all those cute little sayings,
like:
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger
really true
or are they just there to make you not feel like such a failure?
Sometimes, I think things truly happen for a reason, like a greater power showing me a sign.
This morning it was a movie I would have never chosen to watch. I don't think I had ever seen it before either, because I thought the storyline was completely different.
But, when it came on, I didn't change the channel.
As I watched, I saw undercurrents of people acting for their own agendas,
leading others astray of their true intentions.
Using someone for their own self-promotion, as the main character simply worked to do what they had always wanted to do for the good of others around them.
There were too many parallels for me to mention them all, but it certainly showed me that even
when I am the underdog,
when I am doing my best for the situation I am in
when I make mistakes and try to pick myself up and correct them
that others that I think are on my side may or may not be.
There are things about my life where I am that are not easy, right now they are down right difficult. However, just like the main character in the movie, I will persevere and take the hurdles, setbacks and consequences as they come.
The movie? G.I. Jane
So after almost three months of no posts, here is one.
So, what do you think?
Are all those cute little sayings,
like:
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger
really true
or are they just there to make you not feel like such a failure?
Sometimes, I think things truly happen for a reason, like a greater power showing me a sign.
This morning it was a movie I would have never chosen to watch. I don't think I had ever seen it before either, because I thought the storyline was completely different.
But, when it came on, I didn't change the channel.
As I watched, I saw undercurrents of people acting for their own agendas,
leading others astray of their true intentions.
Using someone for their own self-promotion, as the main character simply worked to do what they had always wanted to do for the good of others around them.
There were too many parallels for me to mention them all, but it certainly showed me that even
when I am the underdog,
when I am doing my best for the situation I am in
when I make mistakes and try to pick myself up and correct them
that others that I think are on my side may or may not be.
There are things about my life where I am that are not easy, right now they are down right difficult. However, just like the main character in the movie, I will persevere and take the hurdles, setbacks and consequences as they come.
The movie? G.I. Jane
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Good Morning Sunshine?
The other day, someone was discussing their inability to breathe in the UAE. After researching the reasons why, she found out the UAE is the 4th worst country in the world for air pollution. OK, maybe pollution overall. So the lovely sunrise photo above is brought to you by the disgusting haze on the horizon toward one of the largest petroleum plants in the UAE. Each day the sun rises through the haze to the clear sky and sets before I can see it sink into the sea behind a thicker haze in the west. Beautiful photos indeed, but what is it doing to my body? Why do I not have the breathing issues that others here have?
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
A is for Apple
It is dark, and has been for what seems an eternity, but in reality, but a few hours. My inability to move from the couch to find the Halloween candy I hear whispering my name should attest to my lack of energy and pure exhaustion.
Tomorrow's agenda holds for me, a full day of work, but before I can go to work, I must:
Pack a suitcase for the weekend in Abu Dhabi
Print out all documents I must have notarized at the Embassy
Make sure I have all my ducks in a row and am ready to have all i's dotted and t's crossed.
Take out the trash
Water all plants
make sure all perishables are in the refrigerator or thrown away
set all electronics to charge so I will have something to entertain me while in transit
and then,
well then I can trek off to work to see what the day holds for me.
After work, I must make sure all is in the car that needs to go, fill up the gas tank, buy some water and snacks for the road.
Then the trek to take care of business I am not in the least excited about will ensue.
30 minutes to buy a ferry ticket, get the car in the queue (line for my American friends) and board the ferry. Once it begins to churn through the water, I will happily see the other side and drive away from the port a mere 90 minutes later.
Whew, only 2 and a half hours before I arrive in Abu Dhabi. Now all that has to be done is drive 140 km/h weaving out of trucks driving almost half that and locals driving much faster than I am, and want me out of their way.
All so I can go to the Embassy to get a piece of paper signed and notarized and mailed to the US within the next 24 hours.
Now if I were living elsewhere, the overnight bag just to get something notarized, or grocery shop, or attend a brunch with friends would not be necessary. But I am not, I am living on Delma Island, where you have to travel a long distance to go anywhere.
Of course, this is the regular MO for every trip to Abu Dhabi, and yes, I will be doing other things, but not because I would have anyway, (I wouldn't have been traveling this weekend) but because I am already there.
That is what happens when my mother implanted her voice in my head and all I can hear is what she wanted me to do rather than what I want to do. Yes, she can control me from the grave.
Perhaps now my friends, you will understand where the part of me that wants things a certain way comes from... the apple sitting right next to the tree.... although I am trying to roll away from it as much as I can.
Tomorrow's agenda holds for me, a full day of work, but before I can go to work, I must:
Pack a suitcase for the weekend in Abu Dhabi
Print out all documents I must have notarized at the Embassy
Make sure I have all my ducks in a row and am ready to have all i's dotted and t's crossed.
Take out the trash
Water all plants
make sure all perishables are in the refrigerator or thrown away
set all electronics to charge so I will have something to entertain me while in transit
and then,
well then I can trek off to work to see what the day holds for me.
After work, I must make sure all is in the car that needs to go, fill up the gas tank, buy some water and snacks for the road.
Then the trek to take care of business I am not in the least excited about will ensue.
30 minutes to buy a ferry ticket, get the car in the queue (line for my American friends) and board the ferry. Once it begins to churn through the water, I will happily see the other side and drive away from the port a mere 90 minutes later.
Whew, only 2 and a half hours before I arrive in Abu Dhabi. Now all that has to be done is drive 140 km/h weaving out of trucks driving almost half that and locals driving much faster than I am, and want me out of their way.
All so I can go to the Embassy to get a piece of paper signed and notarized and mailed to the US within the next 24 hours.
Now if I were living elsewhere, the overnight bag just to get something notarized, or grocery shop, or attend a brunch with friends would not be necessary. But I am not, I am living on Delma Island, where you have to travel a long distance to go anywhere.
Of course, this is the regular MO for every trip to Abu Dhabi, and yes, I will be doing other things, but not because I would have anyway, (I wouldn't have been traveling this weekend) but because I am already there.
That is what happens when my mother implanted her voice in my head and all I can hear is what she wanted me to do rather than what I want to do. Yes, she can control me from the grave.
Perhaps now my friends, you will understand where the part of me that wants things a certain way comes from... the apple sitting right next to the tree.... although I am trying to roll away from it as much as I can.
Monday, November 5, 2012
Sunday, November 4, 2012
There's a Fire in My Heart
Beauty in every direction
Water, waves, and sun
Moon smiling late at night
Drift wood
ready for the heat
Rock walls up
for protection
The foundation laid with care
and yet,
Not a spark in sight.
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