As-salamu Alaykum,
I have today off due to the EID holiday. The ministries are all closed, and therefore the KAF is also off for standard operations. Spoke to Kim early and then went back to bed for about an hour but could not sleep so I go up and fixed some scrambled eggs for breakfast.
Decided I needed to go to The Sultan Center and pay on my Internet account before they discontinue service. So I took care of that, looked around to see if there was anything I should pick up, but really did not see anything I need except bread.
Drove back home and saw my old Harris (Ramadan) from my old apartment walking, so I stopped and spoke to him for a few, he invited me into his place for a cup of tea, so I joined him and we had a chat. It seems he is very lonely and homesick for his family, and in general I get the feeling he does not like being in Kuwait any longer. I asked how much longer he was planning to stay in Kuwait and he said after one (this?) year he would leave and not return. He is an educated man, a social worker in his home country of Egypt, but he has to work in Kuwait to support his family. He was planning to get married last summer, but I do not know if he did or not, but said he would not bring a wife to this country anyway, (he mentioned all the crime toward TCN's ) so he , like so many other ex-pats here, work and put up with all the stuff that goes on, looking forward to the day he can return home and be with his family.
So now I am sitting home drinking a cup of coffee, looking at CNN, and deciding what I may want for lunch or maybe dinner.
So, while I decide, I will say Ma-assalama, (go in peace).
TTYL, Mike
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Friday, November 27, 2009
Black Friday..
I went into town today and of course I beat the crowd. Shopping was quick and easy and the best part is I did not spend too much money. I got home just before noon and fixed lunch, a few slices of Arabic extra bran bread with some Hummus. I really love that stuff.
Got a phone call from my manager saying we got a 3 month extension on the contract so that means I am good here til the end of April, and the home office is re-doing the bid for the remainder of the year. That was the best news I have heard so far. Kim will be so excited as well. The follow on contract is "In the works" for the years 2011 and 2012. Hope we get that as well.
Aside from that, everything is going along as usual. Still quite chilly outside, been hazy and foggy all day. I even have a space heater running to take the chill off.
TTYL, Mike
Got a phone call from my manager saying we got a 3 month extension on the contract so that means I am good here til the end of April, and the home office is re-doing the bid for the remainder of the year. That was the best news I have heard so far. Kim will be so excited as well. The follow on contract is "In the works" for the years 2011 and 2012. Hope we get that as well.
Aside from that, everything is going along as usual. Still quite chilly outside, been hazy and foggy all day. I even have a space heater running to take the chill off.
TTYL, Mike
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Happy Thanksgiving
Today is Thanksgiving Day. I decided to go into KWC to pick up some groceries for my "Feast" I was preparing for myself. Well, long story short, I could not get close to the mall and I don't think you could have bought a parking place, so activate plan "B". I exit and head back toward Fahaheel, and will do my shopping at Sultan center. It was nice driving on the highways, the traffic was very light and so the drive was uneventful until I started getting close to my destination. Then it started to get crowded, and then more crowded and finally with Sultan Center in sight I said "heck with this" (censored). The traffic there was just as bad as at the Avenues and of course the parking lot was beyond full. Plan "C", head back home and do my shopping some other time. Maybe early in the morning when all the Kuwaiti's are still sleeping.
I was planning to bake a chicken today , but at the last moment I changed my mind, since today is overcast and dreary looking, I felt a chicken stew was in order, so chicken stew it is. And I must say, it was good. For dessert, I had a piece of pumpkin bread to finish off my meal and a cup of coffee. So now I am looking at a pot full of leftover stew and several more days off. Umm yummy!!
It is late afternoon here and it is getting dark. Still quiet overcast, maybe it will rain again.
Well I want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving.
Don't overeat.
TTYL , Mike
I was planning to bake a chicken today , but at the last moment I changed my mind, since today is overcast and dreary looking, I felt a chicken stew was in order, so chicken stew it is. And I must say, it was good. For dessert, I had a piece of pumpkin bread to finish off my meal and a cup of coffee. So now I am looking at a pot full of leftover stew and several more days off. Umm yummy!!
It is late afternoon here and it is getting dark. Still quiet overcast, maybe it will rain again.
Well I want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving.
Don't overeat.
TTYL , Mike
Sunday, November 22, 2009
22 November 2009
Well, today I applied for the job in Hungary. It does not mean I will get it or I will even accept it if offered, but once the requisition closes, I can't apply for it. Besides, I need to have all my options open if this contract fizzles. I sure hope it doesn't.
I took my car in for service today after work. I got there a bit early but they must have been running late because I did not get finished there until after 3pm. Then I had to go to the "Other" new car showroom to find a cashier. The cashier's computer at the lease showroom was broken so I could not pay the monthly lease there. Got to the new car place and they were closed until 4 pm for the afternoon meal, prayer, nap or whatever, so I made the best of the time and went to do my grocery shopping. Returned to the car place after 4 and paid the lease. Glad that ordeal is over with until next month.
Spoke to Kim upon returning to my apartment and she is doing better. She has been left all alone so that the girls can go see some movie at the matinee'. I hope she uses her alone time to just relax and maybe sleep.
This week is going to be a short one with the Thanksgiving(US)/Eid(Kuwait) holidays coming. I am planning a baked chicken for thanksgiving. I need to get some other things as well, so I will end up back at the market before Thursday. Maybe I will bake a loaf of bread or have an East meets West meal, mixing in some eastern cuisine with the western. Need to research that idea.
It is starting to get cold here in Kuwait. This mornings temp was 43F and I even added a quilt to the bed last night. I guess it will soon be time to get out the heaters.
TTYL - Ma'assalama
Mike
I took my car in for service today after work. I got there a bit early but they must have been running late because I did not get finished there until after 3pm. Then I had to go to the "Other" new car showroom to find a cashier. The cashier's computer at the lease showroom was broken so I could not pay the monthly lease there. Got to the new car place and they were closed until 4 pm for the afternoon meal, prayer, nap or whatever, so I made the best of the time and went to do my grocery shopping. Returned to the car place after 4 and paid the lease. Glad that ordeal is over with until next month.
Spoke to Kim upon returning to my apartment and she is doing better. She has been left all alone so that the girls can go see some movie at the matinee'. I hope she uses her alone time to just relax and maybe sleep.
This week is going to be a short one with the Thanksgiving(US)/Eid(Kuwait) holidays coming. I am planning a baked chicken for thanksgiving. I need to get some other things as well, so I will end up back at the market before Thursday. Maybe I will bake a loaf of bread or have an East meets West meal, mixing in some eastern cuisine with the western. Need to research that idea.
It is starting to get cold here in Kuwait. This mornings temp was 43F and I even added a quilt to the bed last night. I guess it will soon be time to get out the heaters.
TTYL - Ma'assalama
Mike
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Update from 11/13/09 to 11/21/09
Where did I leave off?...Oh yeah, it was still raining on Friday. It cleared up enough on Saturday that I was able to take a small ride on the bike. Kim has her up and down moments with the pain and I still think she is trying to do to much. We are planning to go out to dinner as a family tonight, most likely the "Texas Steak House" restaurant.
Sunday evening I will be leaving to head back to Kuwait. It is times like these that I hate being so far away. I wish I could find a job in Virginia, with Boeing, so I would not lose benefits.
The flight to DC was as quick as always, and the layover there was only about an hour and 10 minutes. Just enough time to get a Pretzel and cup of coffee and too find the departing gate. The flight to Kuwait was long, and to make matters worse, the in-flight movies sucked. I did watch the movie "Julie / Julia" between periods of sleep. I would like to see it again from start to finish.
Arrived back in Kuwait on Monday evening, was met by my co-worker Greg and arrived at my apartment a little after 7pm.
The weather in Kuwait since I have been back is cool and nice. It has actually rained a few times. Although the rain here has a lot of dust mixed in with it so I call it "Mudding" instead of raining. My car, after the last mud storm, looked as if I had been out four wheeling. My silver car was desert brown with only view ports where the window washers had cleaned.
Work has not been any more exciting than before, still no word on the contract except it is not looking good one day then it looks better the next on the renewal. I found a position in Hungary which would be in support of a NATO C17 unit but I am not sure if I want to live in Europe. Is that Europe? Not sure, but it is close to Austria, so day trips would not be out of the question. I have until the 23 to apply for it.
They finally opened the new Bairac Mall across the road from my neighbor hood and I did take a look at it. The best part is the food court, that's the only place in the mall I can afford to shop. The rest of the Mall is all High End Jewelery shops, Clothing stores, a sporting equipment / clothing outlet and mostly stores I have no interest in. They have not fully populated the mall so I am hoping that they may put in a grocery store at a later date. That would be really nice to have in the 'Hood".
I speak to Kim twice a day via "Skype" and she is doing better but still has a lot of pain and is still trying to do too much for her condition. I have told her to quit trying to be super mom and take it easy so she can heal. But who listens to me?
Saturday 21 November 2009: Today in Kuwait is overcast and rain. I had a Pigeon sitting on the window sill in the computer room this morning. It was sleeping and had no idea I was in the room until it woke up and freaked out and took flight.
Stay tuned, more to follow...
Ma'assalama
TTYL , Mike
Sunday evening I will be leaving to head back to Kuwait. It is times like these that I hate being so far away. I wish I could find a job in Virginia, with Boeing, so I would not lose benefits.
The flight to DC was as quick as always, and the layover there was only about an hour and 10 minutes. Just enough time to get a Pretzel and cup of coffee and too find the departing gate. The flight to Kuwait was long, and to make matters worse, the in-flight movies sucked. I did watch the movie "Julie / Julia" between periods of sleep. I would like to see it again from start to finish.
Arrived back in Kuwait on Monday evening, was met by my co-worker Greg and arrived at my apartment a little after 7pm.
The weather in Kuwait since I have been back is cool and nice. It has actually rained a few times. Although the rain here has a lot of dust mixed in with it so I call it "Mudding" instead of raining. My car, after the last mud storm, looked as if I had been out four wheeling. My silver car was desert brown with only view ports where the window washers had cleaned.
Work has not been any more exciting than before, still no word on the contract except it is not looking good one day then it looks better the next on the renewal. I found a position in Hungary which would be in support of a NATO C17 unit but I am not sure if I want to live in Europe. Is that Europe? Not sure, but it is close to Austria, so day trips would not be out of the question. I have until the 23 to apply for it.
They finally opened the new Bairac Mall across the road from my neighbor hood and I did take a look at it. The best part is the food court, that's the only place in the mall I can afford to shop. The rest of the Mall is all High End Jewelery shops, Clothing stores, a sporting equipment / clothing outlet and mostly stores I have no interest in. They have not fully populated the mall so I am hoping that they may put in a grocery store at a later date. That would be really nice to have in the 'Hood".
I speak to Kim twice a day via "Skype" and she is doing better but still has a lot of pain and is still trying to do too much for her condition. I have told her to quit trying to be super mom and take it easy so she can heal. But who listens to me?
Saturday 21 November 2009: Today in Kuwait is overcast and rain. I had a Pigeon sitting on the window sill in the computer room this morning. It was sleeping and had no idea I was in the room until it woke up and freaked out and took flight.
Stay tuned, more to follow...
Ma'assalama
TTYL , Mike
Friday, November 13, 2009
10 November 2009
There's a storm a brewin' . We are supposed to get a Nor'easter, remnants from Tropical storm Ida. Kim is still on bed rest and having her nurse come by daily to redress her wound. She is moving about better but still doing too much, which causes her pain to be high most of the time.
The sky is getting overcast and the wind is picking up. Batten down the hatches. It'll be nice to see an actual rain storm since all I have seen in Kuwait is dust storms.
Wednesday: Rain is here, and wind, and rain, and more rain. Be careful what you wish for.
Kim is the same.
Thursday: Still raining. I heard we had 10 inches of rain in 24 hours. That's more than Kuwait gets in 24 years. My patio is flooded from all the water. My neighbor had water run in from her patio door. Luckily, I have a submersible pump that I have been running to keep the water level down on the patio, pumping it out to the back of the yard.
Friday: Still raining. Kim has a doctor appointment today. Dr. looks at the wound , changes the dressing, gives her a different pain Rx and tells us she will take several more weeks for the wound to heal completely. Kim and I go to Red Lobster for lunch. Really good stuff.
The sky is getting overcast and the wind is picking up. Batten down the hatches. It'll be nice to see an actual rain storm since all I have seen in Kuwait is dust storms.
Wednesday: Rain is here, and wind, and rain, and more rain. Be careful what you wish for.
Kim is the same.
Thursday: Still raining. I heard we had 10 inches of rain in 24 hours. That's more than Kuwait gets in 24 years. My patio is flooded from all the water. My neighbor had water run in from her patio door. Luckily, I have a submersible pump that I have been running to keep the water level down on the patio, pumping it out to the back of the yard.
Friday: Still raining. Kim has a doctor appointment today. Dr. looks at the wound , changes the dressing, gives her a different pain Rx and tells us she will take several more weeks for the wound to heal completely. Kim and I go to Red Lobster for lunch. Really good stuff.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
4 November 2009 -
Hello everyone from Virginia,
I arrived home yesterday on emergency leave, so I could be home for Kim's surgery. The flight just seemed long this time, maybe because I could not get to sleep for any time longer than 30 minutes at a time. I would wake up and check my watch each time and was just amazed at how little time had gone by. Well finally we arrived at DC and got through customs with no problems and then it was the wait to catch the connecting flight to Norfolk. I had some problems getting my T-Mobile SIM card working in my Kuwaiti cell phone and the battery in my stateside phone was dead. It holds a charge for about a 30 second conversation and then shuts off. I was able to call home from DC with the unit plugged in and on the T-mobile account, but when I got to Norfolk , I could not get any signal on T-mobile. I cannot believe the coverage is so poor at the Norfolk airport. Then the battery went dead, I plugged it in and then lost the coverage again. What a pain in the ass..
Finally got home and installed the new battery I purchased online and discovered that it is not an exact replacement although I was able to make it work. Seems to be doing OK so far.
Slept most of the day but got up for a short time to watch some TV but fell back asleep while watching.
Today, (Wednesday) woke up and had a bite to eat and got ready to take Kim to the hospital. They called and said they were running early, but we were on the way when they called. So now here I sit in the waiting room .... waiting ...
Kim is out of surgery and everything went well. They have placed her in a room have her hooked up to an array of monitors and I.V. hoses. She says she has some pain and is very groggy from all the anesthesia and pain meds, but that is to be expected. She is in and out of consciousness, but she seems to be aware of activity in the room.
Day 2: (Thursday) Pretty much the same as day one. Kim is still very groggy and sleeps most of the time but has been getting up and walking around the room and to the bathroom. The girls have stopped by to visit their Mom, but it is difficult for the younger ones because the hospital has banned all persons under 18 from visiting because of the H1N1 flu.
Day 3: (Friday) Got up and took the motorcycle in for service. I looked at the carburetor myself but decided it was more of a task than I wanted to tackle at this time with all the other things going on. It was due for the 16,000 mile check up anyway that I had been putting off since I have been out of country. It should be ready by the end of the day or tomorrow, then I will be able to drive it. Update: Got bike out of shop and it runs like new. I am so happy!
I was driving to the hospital yesterday and took the time to notice how beautiful the weather was and made the decision that November in Virginia is probably my favorite time. That time is truly the fall season in VA. when the weather has a crisp cool feel to it, it even smells nice, like a walk in the woods, just fresh and clean, not too cold and not too hot. Perfect for motorcycle rides.
Kim is still pretty groggy even today. I brought her a bathrobe so she can walk around the floor and get some exercise, that's what she is supposed to do anyway, but she just seems to want to sleep for now.
Day 4: (Saturday) Still cannot sleep past 4 am. Got up and watched some news on CNN. What a horrible thing that has happened at Ft Hood.
Came to the hospital at 6 am. Kim is still groggy all the time. I spoke with her Dr. and he is going to remove the pain box and let her control the pain via pills instead of the pump. He also prescribed her to a more solid diet instead of the broth and clear liquids. Her vitals are pretty much normal, so I guess I should not worry to much. So today I am sitting here and trying to have a conversation with her, and doing things on the computer.
Day 5:(Sunday) Kim gets released today from hospital. She will require home nursing care daily until her surgical wound heals, should take several weeks. I have been out on several rides and I really miss them. Will hate to go back to Kuwait and not be able to ride.
Day 6:(Monday) Kim is home and in a great deal of pain. Pain meds take care of it for a while, but she tries to do WAY TOO MUCH.
More to follow!
I arrived home yesterday on emergency leave, so I could be home for Kim's surgery. The flight just seemed long this time, maybe because I could not get to sleep for any time longer than 30 minutes at a time. I would wake up and check my watch each time and was just amazed at how little time had gone by. Well finally we arrived at DC and got through customs with no problems and then it was the wait to catch the connecting flight to Norfolk. I had some problems getting my T-Mobile SIM card working in my Kuwaiti cell phone and the battery in my stateside phone was dead. It holds a charge for about a 30 second conversation and then shuts off. I was able to call home from DC with the unit plugged in and on the T-mobile account, but when I got to Norfolk , I could not get any signal on T-mobile. I cannot believe the coverage is so poor at the Norfolk airport. Then the battery went dead, I plugged it in and then lost the coverage again. What a pain in the ass..
Finally got home and installed the new battery I purchased online and discovered that it is not an exact replacement although I was able to make it work. Seems to be doing OK so far.
Slept most of the day but got up for a short time to watch some TV but fell back asleep while watching.
Today, (Wednesday) woke up and had a bite to eat and got ready to take Kim to the hospital. They called and said they were running early, but we were on the way when they called. So now here I sit in the waiting room .... waiting ...
Kim is out of surgery and everything went well. They have placed her in a room have her hooked up to an array of monitors and I.V. hoses. She says she has some pain and is very groggy from all the anesthesia and pain meds, but that is to be expected. She is in and out of consciousness, but she seems to be aware of activity in the room.
Day 2: (Thursday) Pretty much the same as day one. Kim is still very groggy and sleeps most of the time but has been getting up and walking around the room and to the bathroom. The girls have stopped by to visit their Mom, but it is difficult for the younger ones because the hospital has banned all persons under 18 from visiting because of the H1N1 flu.
Day 3: (Friday) Got up and took the motorcycle in for service. I looked at the carburetor myself but decided it was more of a task than I wanted to tackle at this time with all the other things going on. It was due for the 16,000 mile check up anyway that I had been putting off since I have been out of country. It should be ready by the end of the day or tomorrow, then I will be able to drive it. Update: Got bike out of shop and it runs like new. I am so happy!
I was driving to the hospital yesterday and took the time to notice how beautiful the weather was and made the decision that November in Virginia is probably my favorite time. That time is truly the fall season in VA. when the weather has a crisp cool feel to it, it even smells nice, like a walk in the woods, just fresh and clean, not too cold and not too hot. Perfect for motorcycle rides.
Kim is still pretty groggy even today. I brought her a bathrobe so she can walk around the floor and get some exercise, that's what she is supposed to do anyway, but she just seems to want to sleep for now.
Day 4: (Saturday) Still cannot sleep past 4 am. Got up and watched some news on CNN. What a horrible thing that has happened at Ft Hood.
Came to the hospital at 6 am. Kim is still groggy all the time. I spoke with her Dr. and he is going to remove the pain box and let her control the pain via pills instead of the pump. He also prescribed her to a more solid diet instead of the broth and clear liquids. Her vitals are pretty much normal, so I guess I should not worry to much. So today I am sitting here and trying to have a conversation with her, and doing things on the computer.
Day 5:(Sunday) Kim gets released today from hospital. She will require home nursing care daily until her surgical wound heals, should take several weeks. I have been out on several rides and I really miss them. Will hate to go back to Kuwait and not be able to ride.
Day 6:(Monday) Kim is home and in a great deal of pain. Pain meds take care of it for a while, but she tries to do WAY TOO MUCH.
More to follow!
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