My life is in motion

I love this Ramadan display. This picture does not do it justice. It is really pretty. This is the one I wrote about previously. The lights inside are different colors on the different sides.

Well, my life is in motion. This month, we're heading for Norway. Next month, we'll travel to India. The next month after India, going to North America. Then in January, Oman is next. Whew. Have passport, will travel. I was able to talk with my grandpa just a few days ago. He told me, "You don't worry about money any more do you." And I replied, "Well, yes actually, I do. I worry about having enough money to pay for university educations AND plane tickets." But, I must admit, I'm really excited about hopefully getting to buy traditional clothing in India. And, I'm even more excited about getting to just see India!

To deviate, I'm glad I was able to speak with my grandpa. My mom happened to be visiting him when I phoned her on her mobile. It was a special moment. I phone my grandmother when I can as well. Even though I'm 'on the move' all the time, I really need the 'grounding' of my family relationships back in my home country.

And, thinking of family relationships...one of my aunts asked me about my work schedule. My work schedule is pretty much like back in my home country. The only difference is that things slow down (at least it feels like it) during Ramadan.

Changing subject: thinking about my fish snap, Uncle B was able to contact me. He feels it is most likely a Lutjanus as well. And, evidently, I've been out of the marine biology world too long. Osteichthyes is a SuperClass and Actinopterygii is the commonly used class now. Boy, do I feel out of it. Just shows I need to stay on top of this things. And, no Uncle B. The tail was not distorted. It really was shaped like that. Strange, I know.

Time to Party

I took this pic/snap the last time I kicked back and relaxed. I'm looking forward to some more relax time. We're having a munchkin party this weekend. We're all looking forward to that. We are doing it after Iftar so everyone can eat. We couldn't do a party without food! We've invited parents to stay and visit.

Found fish like the one I took a picture of in the fish market today. It was definately a snapper.
Ok, here's the best educated guess I can come up with:
Class Osteichthyes or looks like a new thing to me, Class Actinopterygii (Uncle B, if you read this please confirm the taxonomy change?)
Order Perciformes
Family Lutjanidae
SubFamily Lutjaninae
Lutjanus bohar or Lutjanus rivulatus

I love this website: http://fish.mongabay.com/data/ecosystems/Saltwater_Persian_Gulf.htm
Loads of great info. Way too much fun.

Big Fish

Ok, this picture does not do this guy justice. But, this fish was about 24 inches long. The fish here come right at you from the back and zip by close on the side. My new mask is nice because I can see them better as they zip by. I've been working on identifying this guy, but I'm not there yet. He looks like a drum to me (think Red), but he's not. Oh well. He was cool. Uncle B if you read this, any ideas? Here's what I think so far (for those of you who care): Obviously - Class Osteichthyes. Looks kinda like Family Sciaenidae but the caudal fin looks all wrong. So, is this Family Lutjanidae (ie some kind of snapper?). The more I look at this, it's got to be a snapper. It has been WAY too long since I took Ichthyology.

No time to write more. I need to try to put an itinerary together for a Norway trip so we can book plane tickets. Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming!

Munchkins had a great day today

Munchkins had a great day today. And, they love getting new stuff. Lots of reasons for celebrations. We had some really nice time this evening together as a family - at home. Munchkins and I baked and Dad/Husband cooked dinner. We had a celebration kind of meal for our family: homemade waffles, eggs and imported thick cut bacon. Yummy.

I got to sneak away for about half an hour this evening before it got dark out, got in a bit of snorkeling. The new mask is wonderful. No mask squeeze and I have a much better view of things. I didn't realize just how scratched up my old mask had gotten. Plus, the extra 'windows' on the sides make a huge difference. I took pics while I was out in the water today. Watch the next few blogs for those.

Dinner Out

We had a nice normal day today. And, I have such lovely behaved munchkins! They are the BEST!

Ok, here's the current news. We are planning a trip to India in November for about 4 days. We are SO excited. We were also planning a 10 day trip to Norway and Denmark in October. But, the same week we want to travel, all the schools are out in Denmark. All the hotels are already booked including the LegoLand hotel - major bummer. But, we still may try to pull off some time in Norway. Munchkin #1 and I would both REALLY like to see the viking ships at the museum in Oslo. So, we're still working on it.


We had dinner out tonight. Mummy was a touch tired after her afternoon 'afterwork' meeting. We found a new place for Chinese food. The Pad Thai was the best. We ordered three dishes, but we all ended up eating the Pad Thai. And, it was fairly cheap (by nice restaurant standards here), about 25 dirhams for a big noodle dish (that's about $7 US) with chicken and grilled tofu. Yummy.

And, last but not least, the picture/snap for today is of a 'round-about' with a really cool clock tower that is in a section of Dubai called Deira - somewhat close to the gold souq. And, in the snap, the ever present construction cranes of Dubai.

Honked at a Ferrari

Well, today I did something that was not very smart. A REALLY nice Ferrari cut me off in traffic, so how did I react? I honked but good at them. Boy, did it feel good to honk at the super high dollar car whilest driving my dirt cheap vehicle of choice. For some odd reason, I'm still smiling about the whole thing. Only here is one cut off regularly in traffic by a Ferrari. Some days this place just feels crazy!

Went grocery shopping today. Found a place that just opened. It's lovely. Clean, excellent prices and empty. I think people just don't know about it yet. That's fine for me; no crowds.

Munchkins are happy at school. Both are pulling 100%'s on spelling so far, and getting homework done is not a problem. They are such good students! I love my munchkins!

Work for me was a bit slow today, not a whole lot going on, but still a fulfilling experience.

And, yesterday, I finally got a new dive/snorkel mask. It's a triview/triwindow TUSA. I'm pleased. Now, I'll have better peripheral vision for when those little squid go zipping by.

Today's picture I took a month or so ago. It's just outside a lovely place to find a burger or steak. My favorite place to get a burger is closing in December (bummer!), so this place pictured might be the new favorite.

Sleepy Day

The big silver thing sticking up in the distance is Ski Dubai. Thought you might be interested.

Even though I had today off work, did I manage to go snorkel? No....but I did sleep for 3 hours this afternoon. I can not believe how tired I am. My only guess is that the 'no eating and drinking in public' bit has me a bit 'off.' (Not complaining, mind you.) I did not realize just HOW much our family snacks and goes through water bottles when we are out and about. I think my body is just trying to adjust to the slightly different eating/drinking schedule. The munchkins and I have all been a bit 'off' lately. The husband comes home some days over the lunch hour, so I think he is handling this a bit better.

Tomorrow will hopefully bring a trip into Satwa for fabric, and a trip to the 'dive shop' for a new mask for me. Gee, I hope I get to snorkel tomorrow. It's too dark out now. But that's ok, sleep is a good thing.

Today's happenings

Ok, this is probably my all time favorite sign. If you can't read it: "No Parking. 20 minutes allowed for prayers only." I took this snap back this winter.

Now, other things. Typical day. Fun, thought provoking, mentally stretching. Munchkin #2 went to her sport of choice for two hours today after school. But, she was a bit sad when she realized now that summer is over, she's back in with kids more her age rather than kids four and five years older than her. Basically, she said she was bored. She was much happier with the older girls. So, we'll see what happens.

Time to finish washing clothes and head for bed.

Craziness......

Look at the picture my father sent me! He said that this is what is waiting for me 'back home.' Sigh, love my Dad. He understands me. Probably is crazy, but this picture makes me happy.

Ok, here's my excitement for the day. First off: nobody was hurt. But, we have learned to keep our shoes tied. Munchkin #2 needed some new 'dressy shoes' since the feet are growing. We went to a local mall to begin the hunt today after school. We were riding the escalator up to the second level in a store, when just as we reached the top, Munchkin #2 fell. At first I thought it was just a slip, but then quickly saw a shoelace belonging to Munchkin #2 stuck in the very top of the escalator. I pushed the emergency stop button stopping the escalator. Once the thing had stopped moving, I then pulled the shoelace free. Kid and shoelaces are both doing fine. But, you can imagine the reaction from security at seeing a woman (properly attired for a Muslim country I might add) helping her child who just fell by KNOWING how to stop the escalator. The security guy at the store was VERY nice and VERY concerned about the whole thing. But, all is well. Just another day in the middle east.

The husband is doing a short trip today/tonight with a business associate who is in the country right now. The husband will be home some time late tonight. Since I don't feel like dealing with the crowds after restraunts open up later this evening when it's time to break the fast, the munchkins and I are eating at home - leftovers and some lovely stuffed zucchini from my neighbor. She and I are trading food/cooking tips. I'm learning some Syrian cooking and she's learning from my home region. Great fun. The 'sweets' from Damascus were MUCH better than the ones we buy here locally. Yum, yum.

Today was good day

This is inside a little mall (Mercato Mall) here in this area of the world. This picture was taken back in June, so it's a touch old. This skylight area of the building is rather pretty.

Today was a good day. I had a good day at work, and the munchkins are happy in school. We had a pleasant dinner with a long time work associate of the husband. Since I didn't feel like whipping up a fancy dessert for our dinner tonight, the munchkins and I ran down to our local favorite bakery place. Yummy. Of course, we bought a rather large box of 'sweets.' It is just so very hard to decide which one! So, we each chose more than one. Loads of fun, and we now have extra special stuff for lunch boxes. The 'chocolate logs' as Munchkin #1 calls them remain a favorite. An entire LARGE box of yummies runs around 30 dirhams or about $10. Not too bad for handmade fresh pastries. We will definitely take visitors. It will be interesting to hear from our visitors what they think of this little 'pastry' place.

Time to eat!!!!!

We wanted to eat pizza for fun tonight, but we hit a snag. Because iftar doesn't happen until a specific time, restaurants can not prepare food before iftar. So.....one has to wait at least an hour past iftar if one wants pizza delivered (rather than attempt to eat right at the appropriate time for eating in public/breaking the fast). So, tonight it is other 'home made' stuff.

One of our local shopping areas has a display up, reminds me of a gingerbread house, that is a miniature mosque. It's all lit up with colored lights, very pretty. There are signs hanging everywhere in this particular shopping area proclaiming 'Ramadan Kareem.' Again, all very pretty. It is a very exciting experience being able to experience a time like Ramadan in this part of the world.

Tonight, we will relax, do laundry and EAT!

Not much going.

Took this snap on a trip to Oman. It was a goof, but because of the sunglasses, I think it kind of worked. Not much going today. Went grocery shopping this morning before the crowds were out. I found a juicer thing that sort of worked, sigh. But, I did find a REALLY nice rolling pin dirt cheap for making pie crusts and cookies. I got the rolling pin because I have been using an empty pasta sauce jar which did not work very well. I made a huge pot of gumbo, the husband is finishing the key lime pie, and I'm making chocolate chip cookies next. Just kind of a laid back day today.

Fun Friday

Greetings all! It's been a fun Friday. We got Munchkin #2 a new BIG rug for her bedroom - pink with a giant purple fish and purple octopus. She picked it out and loves it. Sigh, I'm so proud!

We made another attempt at grocery shopping today. While we were in the mall, we heard the call to prayer. About 45 minutes after that, the mall went from totally empty to totally packed. I'm going to need to keep better track of the prayer times and pay extra attention to that section of the newspaper (one is not always in an area where the call can be heard from a mosque). The husband may end up doing the shopping since his schedule tends to be a bit more flexible. Boy, is that a switch!

I love this snap of Munchkin #2. We took this last night. Her old mask was too small, and we found this one here locally. It's a touch big, but seems to work ok. For all the grandparents out there, we can make CD's of snaps over our next holiday. And, when I have time, I will upload some to my other fave site for dealing with snaps.

Other than pushing my way through to the scales to weigh produce at the store, the day was relaxed. Cleaned a bit, and had an 'easy to prepare' dinner. And, thanks to the heat, at the end of the day, we all want fruit juice. I love sugary old Snapple when I can get the fruit punch variety. Tomorrow we have dinner guests coming, and I will be cooking food from the Southern U.S. for fun (cajun). I have been graced with a nice stash of gumbo prep mix. And, if I can find grahams tomorrow morning for a crust, the husband found key limes for a key lime pie. Yummy! Oh wow, just realized, we need a juice squeezy jar thing. One more thing to hunt for before it gets hot and crowded tomorrow. Cheers.

Missing the Trees

I LOVE this picture. The is my dad and I working on a downed maple tree at the family tree farm. And yes, I know how to wield a chainsaw. Stihl saws are my favorites. This has nothing to do with fish or the middle east. I'm just a bit homesick right now, and I didn't get to visit the farm this summer. Almost in tears just thinking about my parents' house, stores back home, the tree farm and cheap fresh berries.

Well, today was my first day of Ramadan. The munchkins had an interesting time at school. Since the school day begins an hour later and ends an hour earlier during Ramadan, everything is rushed. The full compliment of subjects is still done, it is just compressed a bit for time. This allows students participating in the fast to be able to sleep in before school (after getting up at around 4am to eat and pray), and to go home and sleep until sundown. The school has prayer rooms set up and available to the students who are fasting.

After getting the munchkins from school, I needed to do a bit of grocery shopping. Well, we went to a grocery store inside a mall (most big grocery stores are in malls here). The food court was closed and roped off. Nobody was sitting in the cafes. Very surreal feeling. When we arrived at the grocery store, it was empty. By the time we went to check out, it was more crowded than a grocery store at 6pm the night before Thanksgiving in a major U.S. city. Incredible. There were more ladies wearing abayas and veils then I usually see. Many of the veiled ladies were even wearing long black gloves. When buying produce here, you have to have special store clerks weigh it and put a price/bar code on it before you can pay for it. The line at the produce section was so immense, I put all my produce back and said we would just eat frozen for a day or so. It still took about 25 minutes to move through the check-out line. I am planning on attempting grocery shopping tomorrow at around 12 noon. Hopefully, places will be empty. I don't mind large crowds, but this was amazing. Either that, or the husband may have to do shopping for me while I am at work. His schedule is a tad more flexible then mine. With no eating or drinking allowed in public during daylight hours, one could almost feel the collective tummy rumble. After sundown tonight, I need to find some Mexican food! Cheers.

Ramadan begins

Well, Ramadan begins. Here's the link to a newspaper website from the area: http://www.gulfnews.com/nation/Heritage_and_Culture/10153084.html
Interesting stuff. I saw an add/billboard kind of thing, advertising Kentucky Fried Chicken. It was basically saying, "Break the fast in the evening as a family over a bucket of KFC" (or something like that. That was the idea portrayed). That is not a marketing angle I'm used to seeing any place other than here. Actually, some KFC is sounding good to me right now. I need to go make dinner. I get home from work, think about chores, have a snack, think about chores some more, and flop down in front of the computer. I guess I should go make dinner AND do some chores. Peace everyone.

Ok, one more bit. Here's a link to the 'meaning' of the expression Ramadan Kareem/Kariim. You see and hear this expression everywhere in the region this time of the calendar.
http://www.proz.com/kudoz/304126

Yet again, peace everyone.

Getting ready for Ramadan

This picture from Madinat Jumeirah has nothing to do with Ramadan; I just liked it. I thought I'd share some vocabulary given to me by a VERY nice lady who teaches Arabic. These particular words are associated with Ramadan.
Eid Ul-Fitr: The holiday following the end of Ramadan during which Muslims celebrate successful fasting. (Kids here get a whole week off from school)
Eid Mubarak: Have a happy and blessed Eid
Fajr: the first of the five daily Islamic prayers, performed after Suhur
Zakah: money that every earning Muslim must give to the community each year
Suhur: The early meal that Muslims eat before sunrise to start their fasts during Ramadan
Taraweeh: Special night-time prayers performed only during Ramadan.
Imam: The man who leads prayers
Iftar: the meal Muslims eat at sunset to break their fast during Ramadan
Since it is illegal to eat and drink in public during Ramadan, the munchkins have been a bit concerned about that. But, I think we've got things in hand with how we'll work after school snacks and things. And, I'll just have to do without my perpetual bottle/mug of water while I work. Thinking of snacks! We had a nice treat when we were grocery shopping today. We found little snack bags of Sargento cheese cut into moon and star shapes. We downed them! The cheeses here are good, but it's lovely to eat familiar stuff, too! It was a hoot to see the munchkins so excited over two little bags of cheese.

McDonald's Anyone?

Ok, I love this picture. Not because I like McDonald's, but because this is a picture of a McDonald's in Dubai in a fun 'local' grocery store center. This is near the store with the bakery I think is the best in Dubai. Plus, you can see the green sign over the next store in Arabic. This is 'really' what the city of Dubai looks like. Most websites (I think) will show all the cool expensive tourist places in Dubai, but I think it's the 'everyday' places that really make Dubai feel fun and exotic. Work was good today, not much to talk about! And...to change the subject, we've added it into the budget to get me a new snorkel/dive mask! Yippee! I've been using the same one since about 1992 or 1993. I'm so ready for a new one! Wonder if I can get pink again? I bought my old mask when I also bought my favorite snorkel, my fins and my dive knife. Gee, time for sleep. I'm rambling. Peace. Oh, yeah. Check out the two new munchkin pictures/snaps at the bottom of my blog.

Back to work today and no sand

Today was a usual day at work. It never ceases the amaze me the differences between the type of work I'm doing here and the same type of work in the States. Some issues that come up during the day are the same, but most are just so very different! Email me if you want some of these details. The munchkins and I had some grocery shopping to do this afternoon. Some grocery stores here are located inside the shopping malls. The shopping mall parking lots have workmen in yellow jumpers who will wash your auto for you for 10 dirhams (about $3.50 US) while you shop. Well, my windows were so dusty, I had my vehicle of choice washed. To allow some extra time for him to finish washing my car, the munchkins and I entertained ourselves. The fresh fish market is always interesting, but today we decided to sample cheap mid-east perfumes on mum's arms. We were laughing pretty hard! I don't know which smelled worse by the time we were done: my arms or the fish market! Such simple weird fun! And I now know I really do prefer the perfume that's 250 dirhams a bottle versus the stuff that is 15 dirhams a bottle! (Not that I think I'll ever own the 250 stuff). Today was another very windy day, but the sand/dust in the air was not as bad as it was yesterday. The picture above I took yesterday to try and show all the dust/sand in the air. (Little FYI: a specific reader will want to take a peek at the Fish Rant section on the right hand side of the page. Little Blue is a super cool little cichlid.)

Sand storm brewing?

I love this fountain. The blue tile, the lovely falling water. Water is such a luxury in the desert. Plus, it is next to an excellent place to get a burger and fries at Madinat Jumeirah. This 8-point star pattern, I think, is a way of representing 'completeness'. From what I know, there are no official symbols within Islam. But, we do associate the crescent moon and the star with Islam. Also, we see this 8-point pattern everywhere. We have even seen homes constructed in the shape of this type of star. We've had a lovely day here. Started with a late morning run into the Satwa district to go fabric shopping. Bought fabric for a nice start to my next quilt project. Fabrics were running 5 dirhams to 8 dirhams a yard. That's about $1.50 - $2 US per yard. I bought some red satin to play with for $1.50/yard! Too much fun! We had lunch at Souq Madinat Jumeirah. A very touristy place, but the restaurants are good, and the atmosphere is very nice. For those of you making the trip here, you will need to spend an hour or so at Souq Madinat Jumeirah (but spend your money at the Blue Souq!). And, for you more adventuresome folks, we'll go explore Satwa. Really great local fun stuff. We also made a stop at a local dive shop to check prices. I may be buying a new snorkel/dive mask over Christmas. I've had mine since about 1993. The rubber/silicone stuff on it is very stiff. I get major mask squeeze (yes, it's worse now - if that's possible) trying to keep it from leaking. The ones here were around 200 dirhams or $60 US. It's been so long since I've bought one, I don't know if that's a good price or not for TUSA. I was hoping to snorkel this afternoon, but now that we're home, the wind is really blowing. Sand everywhere. The water is very choppy, and I can tell visibility on 'our' little stretch of beach is quite low at the moment. Looks like a thunderstorm, but it's all sand blowing. If I went out now, I'd wear a light headscarf with a piece over my nose and mouth. Keeps the grit out of my teeth. If I sit in front of the A.C., I can imagine it's snow blowing instead of sand. It's still 106 F outside or about 41 C.

Kicking back just a touch

I'm totally fascinated by the mosques here. The architecture is so different from what I am used to seeing. With Ramadan approaching here, the stores have large displays up loaded with 'sweets' for sale. More kinds of baklava than I can count. Yummy. I found a peanut type the other day which is among my favorites. But, for total gluttony, the chocolate dipped baklava is definitely tops. Speaking to a friend here who's lived here for some time now, she told me that this area, literally, goes to sleep during Ramadan. She said that so many people are fasting during the day, that they will sleep through the day. It will be interesting to see what the month of Ramadan is actually like here. Schools here will either close (maybe) but many (I know) will have shortened school days. The munchkins are happy about the shortened school days. Since today is Friday, that means family clean day. And, thinking of shopping.....for those of you readers interested in this subject: I found a lovely shirt yesterday for 10 dirhams (which is around $3 U.S.) and an entire outfit for work: lavender colored skirt, lace trimmed tank top, purple embroidered 'over blouse' for 86 dirhams (about $20 U.S.). I find it hard to find practical clothes here, but when I do they are beyond reasonably priced! Shoes, though are VERY expensive here - usually.
Since stores/malls/museums/everything is packed on Fridays, we kick back and the whole family works to clean our home in two hours. Then we play the rest of the day. But...today Munchkin #1 is attending a birthday party for a friend from school. It's a swim party, so it should be loads of fun. So, off to clean and then return to kicking back just a touch. 'Cheers.'

Another day in 'paradise.'

Well, today was a good day. Munchkins are TOTALLY loving (especially #1) having access to their school's library. I'm really enjoying work. I'm trained/educated to have a higher level position so to speak with what I'm doing, but it's terribly nice getting to work without the extra headaches that come from being 'higher up the food chain.' No, I'm not wallowing in mediocrity, but I'm sure enjoying less stress! Things continue to be good for the husband. He currently has my preferred mode of transport and I have his since the AC is not working well in mine. I'm pretty independent, but I'd rather not have to negotiate with mechanics! The uploaded video for today doesn't have anything to do with anything. I just thought it was fun. And, you might notice me up in the corner. The husband filmed this one. Change of subject: We have not gone to our preferred place/time/type of worship for a while. It's so very hard when one gets out of the habit! Thinking of worship, Ramadan begins on 13 September. The week after or at the end of Ramadan is Eid al Fittr (hope I spelled that correctly. I can say it, but spelling it in English is different). The kids are out of school that week, and the husband has business in 'Scandanavia'. So.....the kids and I may spend a few days roaming Norway (they have lovely trains and evidentally many people speak English) while the husband does business, and then reconnect as a family for a ferry boat trip to Denmark with a trip to the Lego factory. The munchkins and I could really go for some snow/cold/rain right now! So.....there is lots of potential travel for us this Fall! Nothing is for certain, but if we can we will!

Crazy Things

This is a road sign I saw a while back and thought it was kind of crazy. The sign, if I recall correctly, you see once it's too late to try to change lanes to get into the lane you actually need (or think you need rather). For me, I think it is interesting (time to get philisophical). You go somewhere, you do something, and you KNOW you are supposed to be there. But then....you encounter a crazy sign and the next thing you know you're in a different lane! Well, I'm in the middle of a lane change; I'm doing 130 km/hr and all I can do is hang on for the ride. Maybe I'm in the lane I need because I'm not really in the driver's seat! Cheers! And time for sleep. I have no clue if what I just typed makes any sense what so ever!

Busy Day Today

Well, today was busy, but it was an awesome day. The munchkins are now back in full student mode. Munchkin #1 made a friend last week at 'kid care' while I was working. That new friend is in his same class. Munchkin #1 is very excited about that. Munchkin #2 also had a great day. I thought this pic/snap of the Burj al Arab Hotel was fun. It boasts that it is a 7 star hotel. Just to go in and walk around/tour the place is 60 AED per person or around $17 U.S. It is truly a stunning building. I pass by this way quite often. The road I was on to take this picture is one to be avoided at certain times of the day - traffic will sit at a standstill. Thus, I was able to get this picture from my vehicle of choice. It is 'fascinating' that the same city which has a 7 star hotel, has working men who earn 750 AED/month which is about $210 U.S. Dubai is an extremely diverse place - socially and economically.

Bur Dubai

Went down into Bur Dubai today (some call it 'Old Dubai'). Loved the billboard advertising kid food. Bur Dubai is the area where the souqs are. Because of where we had to park the car to go to the gold souq, we had (ha, ha) to walk through the Dubai Fish Market. Loads of fun. The smell was tremendously fishy. The place is like the old French Market in New Orleans (does that market exist any more?). Basically open, but covered. It was a seafood version of Saturday market in San Ignacio, Belize. They had stacks of the species of crab the I encountered the other day, but I didn't see any of my local fish friends (black tipped tails).