Life

Random Observations Part II

It is now November and the weather is still taunting me. There have been some lovely mornings and evenings but the past few days of humidity have made me bitter. It is very confusing to have the temperature in the morning be in the 70’s but not be able to enjoy it because the humidity is also in the 70’s. I still see the light at the end of the tunnel though, there a few days this coming week that the high temperatures are predicated to be in the 80’s. Hopefully, the humidity goes into hibernation so we can actually enjoy the lower temperatures on a regular basis. So please, enjoy as best you can, your Fall weather, your rain, and your snow. I hope you also enjoy more of my random observations, spoiler alert, Bobette now has eyes. Good luck with time change this weekend. This will be our first time not experiencing time change and I am very curious on if we will prefer it or not.

Life

Yas Island Theme Park Adventures

Well, we are finally down to the mid 90’s, so the weather is still an obstacle for us but supposedly any day now it will change. I find myself checking the weather a few times per day to see how hot and humid it is, or is going to be. I also look to see if there is anything in the 10-day forecast to get excited about. The anticipation is driving me crazy. In spite of the weather we got out and about a little this past week since Tyler was off of school for his mid-term break.

Life

Life in the UAE During COVID

HAPPY FALL Y’ALL! I hope you are all enjoying the nice crisp cool weather for me. We are still patiently waiting for the weather here to calm down. For the past week or so we have had highs in the low 100’s so I am getting hopeful. Since the weather will hopefully not be a deterrent much longer I thought I would do a post about what is like in the UAE when it comes to COVID.

Life

Random Observations Part I

Well things in Abu Dhabi are falling into a routine but we are still working on getting settled. Tyler has been in school for three weeks now. He likes his teacher and has made a few friends. Between the weather and Covid we haven’t ventured out much, other than to the pool, and to the one of the many malls to get stuff for the apartment. That being said, I thought I would share just a few random observations that I have made during our first month in Abu Dhabi.

Life

The Journey

Hello from Abu Dhabi! We have been in Abu Dhabi for over 2 weeks now and I have been toying with the idea of writing a blog about this little adventure to help keep family and friends updated. Well I have finally decided to do it. I also figured it will be a good way for us to look back and remember it for ourselves, ok mainly me because I am horrible at remembering things. Not to mention the fact that it will help keep me busy and out of trouble.

Book Experiment

A Reading Experiment

My wife has really gotten into re-reading the books around the house to see whether or not they were worth keeping in the limited space we have set aside in the house for our ‘libraries’.  She started using an app on her phone to keep track of her progress.  I’ve thought and thought and thought about whether I wanted to participate with her, but I kept coming back to my own back log of books I’ve either collected or been given to read and have yet to crack them open.  I liked the idea of some sort of app to…

Life

2019 Halloween Display

Back in October of 2017 I ran across a Halloween display while visiting SeaWorld San Diego that really caught my eye. They had three ‘fish’ pumpkins on which they projected jack-o-lantern face animations synced to several songs. After a little searching online I came across the source of their display, The Singing Pumpkins. After some negotiations with a fellow Halloween enthusiast, we decided to go in together on the whole package. I’m not sure what has become of his share of the investment, but I have slowly grown and modified mine over the last few years. The first display was…

Life

Death and Taxes

“Our new Constitution is now established, and has an appearance that promises permanency; but in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” –Benjamin Franklin (in a letter dated 1789) I came across yet another news article focusing on the despair that people are having at receiving lower tax refunds, or in some cases paying taxes, this year compared to last.  It seems like every one of these articles has the underlying goal of vilifying the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (H.R.1, 115th Congress, 2017-2018).  While I’m not an expert in financial planning or tax…

Life, Professional, Technology

The Good, The Bad, and The Texting

I can’t think of many people who would disagree with the idea that mobile phones have changed the way that we go about our daily lives.  What some might argue, adamantly at that too, is whether or not it was a good change or not.  Now pay attention. I’m not talking about smart phones here, just plain old mobile phone technology.  This is not about having instant access to the world far beyond your immediate settings.  No, this about the way in which we now communicate.  I firmly believe that humans are social creatures at their core.  I don’t care…

Professional

On Being a Safety Leader

“They’re terrified of you!” one of my staff tells me in conversation.  “I just don’t understand why” is all I can say with the most dumbfounded look on my face.  I’m not perfect, but I do feel like I go a good job at making my fellow workers comfortable and successful in their jobs.  Our whole leadership team has an open door policy and most of the staff is in and out of our office regularly with questions, suggestions, and good old plain chitchat.  When I can get out from under the pile of paperwork and desk projects, I make…