I'm Back!

I did not give up blogging, I just could not get through the firewall that has been set up here. I don't blog because I "have to". I don't live and breathe it but it does bother me that it is so hard to get through as I know a lot of folks check here from time to time.

Elections here in Iraq are coming and with that is the usual flurry of activity and preparation. Unlike a lot of other bloggers I realize that Haji reads these things and I am not giving away anything he can use against us. While I can't go into specifics I can state that if Haji tries anything he may get punched in the nose.

The weather got cool enough for light jackets and now we are back to shirt sleeves. I get email updates from my favorite ski resorts and see all the groovy powder out there but it just seems unreal since we are in this temperate season. An indoor ski slope was recently opened in Dubai so I may try and catch some runs when I go through there the next time. Bad skiing is still better than working!

Speaking of Dubai, I had to go there three weeks ago for some meetings. What a nightmare! The company made my reservations for the wrong dates and when I arrived I had no hotel room. There was a huge trade show in town and there were just no rooms available anywhere. The hotel (Movenpick) tried to find me another room and after about 2 hours they found me a basement room in a flophouse in Bur Dubai.

I stayed one night and then checked out the following morning. Upon arriving at the meetings with all my luggage I got the personnel to start working on finding me a room. Low and behold, they found me a room at....you guessed it....the MOVENPICK! Seems they actually keep one room back just in case a member of the royal family drops in. When I got there in the evening they were just falling all over themselves to apologize and explain to me how they did not know "who I was" and other crap like that. I took their apologies and the key and checked in to the over $400.00 per night room.

It was palatial. It was one of the nicest rooms I have ever stayed in (Le Meridein in Budapest is #1). It is huge with a nice big walk in shower and lots of amenities including a private elevator to that floor and a concierge desk on the floor. Not that I used any of that. I just slept and ordered room service.

I leave again on the 19th for my first Christmas home on 4 years. I have missed 3 in a row. I'm not missing any more. They can ki$$ my big white A$$. I will try and get some more in now that I know how to get around this insidious firewall.

The photo was taken about last February at the Gold Souk in Dubai. Look at this gaudy crap!