Inom wants to go on vacation. He said, "Madam, I have to ask you something." "What?" "With your permission, Madam, I would like to go on vacation for January and February. It is three years and three months since I have been to my family." Wow. Three years and three months! Can you even imagine? I cannot.
DH and I were separated for ten or eleven weeks at a time when he came over here to work as a contractor before he was hired as a full-time employee [contractor's do not get to bring their wives and families]. Those ten and eleven week periods were the longest we were ever separated during our whole twenty years together!
Three years and three months... I know Inom has three children. When we got school back-packs for his children last year, his youngest, a little boy, was six-years-old. So, figure he is seven, now. He has seen his Dad - perhaps twice - TWICE - at most three times - in his entire short life. Amazing. I give these guys [and the women, too - the ones who come here to work as slaves maids] a lot of credit. The usual and customary vacation for these imported workers is after two years. They work two years and then go home for two months. How many of us have to even fathom something like that? Military workers. They are the ones who do it [and they have my utmost respect for doing so - along with their other many admirable qualities!!!].
The biggest part of Inom's dilemma in his question to me was whether or not he would still have a job here if he went on vacation. I'm not thrilled with him. We - he and I - have our ups and downs. Sometimes he does a great job with the work I ask him to do - other times? Not so much. I think at this point we tolerate each other. He tries to get away with as much as possible and I try not to have to "correct" him as much as possible. [He is in for a real treat later this week. I can assure you that no one is going to want to be around me in about two days. More on that when it happens.] No matter.
As far as I am concerned he can go on vacation. I won't be paying him for his vacation - I pay him while I am gone - because I realize that he is keeping that time open for me - but I am not going to pay him while he is gone. I will have to hire and pay someone else in his absence. His bother will be here and I might ask him to come work. If not, I'll ask our house-sitter / baby-sitter. I only need the "big stuff" done. I can take care of everything else.
Locally... Another child, dead. Abuse at the hands of his mother and/or his father. It was reported yesterday in one paper, and today in the other. Yesterday's paper said, "The mother of a dead two-year-old boy and the 'son of her friend' are being investigated by police..." Turns out the "friend" is more than a friend. He is the woman's ex-husband according to today's report. The child was dead for FIVE HOURS before the woman took her son to the hospital. Not much they could do at that point, Lady. Duh! A police spokesman says, "The doctor said that it is a suspected felony and the case has been transferred to the Investigation and Prosecution Board and is not being handled by the police anymore." Good. Hope they are both executed - the mother and the father - for their crime. What kind of parents - a mother and/or a father - does this to a child? A little child!?!
Lest anyone think that I think child abuse happens only on this side of the world... I do not. Child abuse knows no boundaries. This case has probably been in the news in the States, but I only just heard about it this morning. A woman monster - Antoinette Nicole Davis - has been charged with "human trafficking, felony child abuse [and] prostitution, among other charges." This monster's daughter, five-year-old daughter, Shaniya, is missing. I do not know all of the details, but if she sold her daughter to a pedophile, I only wish for terrible things to happen to her - and to him - the pedophile.
What does "human trafficking" even mean? My goodness! I guess I was naive enough to think that this kind of thing only happens other places - like here, in the Sandbox - but not in the United States. So POS Antoinette Nicole Davis SOLD HER LITTLE GIRL and the last time that little girl was seen was entering a hotel room with a 29-year-old man - another POS - Mario Andrette McNeill?! He has been arrested and charged with kidnapping. What else did he do to this little girl, I wonder? And what kind of mother sells her 5-year-old child to someone?
As of right now, I have no idea whether this poor little girl - this innocent CHILD - is okay, or not. Her Daddy, Bradley Lockhart, has been raising Shaniya "for several years but last month decided to let her stay with her mother. He said Davis struggled financially over the years, but she recently obtained a job and her own place, so [he] decided to give her a change to raise their daughter. I should've never let her go over there." Hindsight is always 20/20... No one is blaming you Mr. Lockhart. My thoughts are with you and I will keep you and your little girl in my prayers hoping that she will be safely returned to your arms.
As to that monster who gave birth to her and the man who kidnapped her? If anything happens to Shaniya, I hope they will get what they deserve. Here? They would be executed beheaded. And quickly, I might add.
for absolutely everything, isn't there! I did my nails today. I started doing acrylics again when I was in the States in August. No one here can do them - which isn't to say that you cannot have them done - you can. No one can do them like I can do them. Our "Beauty Shop" does not do them. Why? No idea. They could [would!] make a fortune off women, here, if they would do them. There are a couple of shops off our compound that do them. I've been to one of them. They do them all by hand - no drills or electric "files" - and that is what I wanted. [I think drills, or electric files, are possibly the worst thing you could possibly do to your nails - but that's just me.] It took the poor girl three hours to do my nails when I went there last year. The reason I went was because it takes me three hours and I didn't want to spend that much time on my nails... It takes me three hours because I have such a hard time doing my right hand with my useless left hand. Ambidextrous? Not me.
Anyway - as I was cleaning out some of my supplies - getting rid of some old polish that is just too thick to use anymore - I came across one that was a favorite - there is no polish left in the bottle - but I saved the bottle in hopes that someday I would be able to replace it. It is made by Sally Hansen and is #04, "Passion Frost." A deep purple frost. I luved that polish!!! I haven't seen it in a CVS or Walgreens in eons. Hey - what if I could find it on the internet? What a novel idea?
Alas, the polish is not to be found - but who knew that there are blogs out there that are totally devoted to nail polish? First I found this one [really like the OPI "It's Sheer Luck" color], which led me to this one. The color I was looking for by Sally Hansen is very similar to one of the Jessica polishes she posts about - called "Grecian Touch." I'll see if I can't find that polish somewhere... If not here, then when I go home in February.
The other polish that I have decided that I must have is one I used the entire time I was in the States is one of OPI's as well: Black Cherry Chutney. Matches everything. A perfect "purple" neutral. I'll order it on-line if I can't find it easily. I know Sally Beauty Supply does not carry OPI [I tried to find it there before I headed home to the Sandbox]. ULTA does carry OPI but I didn't have the opportunity to go and get it. With Sephora over here, perhaps I can get my nails on it sooner rather than later. [Ha! Pun intended.]
Blogs on fingernail polish. My gosh. You learn something new every day, don't you?!
One paper says "Saudi Arabia has one of the world's highest road accident rates." The other paper says "...road deaths are down by 50 percent." Choice. It is all about choice in deciding which article you want to believe. No matter. Still plenty of PCRC. Nothing is going to change that, either. Authorities can go ahead and pat themselves on the back and say that they are doing everything they can. Everyone, here, knows that that is not the case. Not with statistics like this:
"Last year 458,931 accidents took place... killing 6,458 people and injuring 36,486. Speeding and disregard for safety regulations were cited as the main causes of accidents..." Gee. 'Ya think? "A study from the Ministry of Health estimates that the average vehicular collision that involves fatal or non-fatal injuries results in SR100,000 to SR120,000 [$26,809.65 and $32,171.58, respectively] in medical expenses... the annual cost of road accidents is estimated at about SR26 billion [6,970,509,383.37], which is equal to four percent of the country's gross domestic product." [Emphasis, mine.] "...about one-third of beds in government hospitals are occupied by accident victims. About 45 percent of accidents are caused by speeding..." Job security for ex-pat medical professionals from all over the world. The Sandbox has been "singled out by the World Health Organization (WHO) as the record holder of the highest death toll due to traffic accidents with over 49 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants." Hey. Every country has to be "best" at something, right?
Sadly, yesterday morning, a man [women don't drive here] "took the lives of two Indian electricians." The two young men were killed on their way to a construction site - one of them, Rajesh, was only 28. The other, Ullas was 32. Both were married and one of them has a one-year-old baby. "Police are asking any possible eyewitnesses to come forward to assist in apprehending the driver of the other vehicle who fled the scene of the accident." Umm hmm. I think we all know that these were just two imported workers. Plenty more available where these two came from. Nothing to see here, folks. Move along.
More PCRC: A 30-car pile-up happened on Thursday - because of fog - and because men in this country refuse to slow down and refuse to follow traffic regulations. No one died, but "12 persons of various nationalities suffered injuries in the multiple collisions, some described as serious." See? Like I said. Job security for the various medical ex-pat professionals.
Nothing will change here until authorities get serious about the situation. Until then? Traffic accidents, galore. "Population control road carnage." That is just the way it is.
The "Kittahs." There was the male that I fed for a couple of months. He was hanging around. He needed food. We called him Boots. An all black cat with white feet and legs. Boots seemed appropriate and fitting. He was clearly a male cat. Then, about a month ago - probably longer - Boots started hanging out down the street. Fine by us. We knew he was never going to be one of The Kids, but if you have two, then what's another. Besides, isn't it all the rage to "adopt" from overseas? Both The Boy and The Baby are from the States. Boots is from the Sandbox. There you go. A happy diversified family. Yeah. Not really, but kind of sort of, right?
In Boots place a young "kittah" started hanging around. Kitten, not little small kitten, but not a full-grown cat, either. Related to Boots? Maybe. Off-spring, perhaps. Black. Same green eyes. A single white foot. And a perfect white stripe up its nose. We started calling the kitten Stripe. I went to let The Boy outside in the back yard a couple of weeks ago and had NO idea Stripe was out there. Don't 'cha know The Boy spotted Stripe RIGHT away and raced to "attack." This was like a week after The Boy had been attacked by a "Killer Kittah" two blocks behind us when we were all out for a daily walk one morning. From out of nowhere - whoosh - The Boy was being attacked! Did he learn his lesson? Apparently not. I screamed. "NNOOOOOO!!" and Stripe darted underneath the gate to safety. We double check now, before letting either of The Kids outside, to make sure that the back yard is cat free. A few days ago, as I was getting ready to let The Boy out in the morning, I watched Stripe scale the cement wall to get outside of the yard. Stripe no longer fits underneath the gate.
Two days ago, I went out to feed Stripe. Stripe doensn't wander far from the yard and has taken to sitting on our front stoop in the morning in anticipation of breakfast. I finally figured out what gender Stripe is - female - and noticed that she has been putting on weight. Quite a bit of weight, actually. I think there are going to be Baby Furballs in the near future. This says that pregnancy in cats becomes noticeable in about the fifth week. Full gestation is 63 - 65 days. Well, if I've noticed... And it was this week that I noticed... Let's say Stripe is five weeks pregnant. She has another five weeks and couple days, more or less, before this young cat becomes a Mommy herself. [No we certainly were not planning on a teenage pregnancy, here. Caught us a bit off guard. To say the least.]
Great. Just what the Sandbox needs. More unplanned "ferel" kittahs. Stripe wants to be part of the family. And, we'd be willing to have her if we could get her in a cage and I could get her to a vet to get her shots, and flea treatment, etc. I am a bit worried about her condition, though. Perhaps she will find somewhere else to have her kittens. I don't know. There is not a "dark" safe place outside the house for her to do this. I've considered a box - upside down - with a hole cut in it so that she can freely enter and exit [heck, I'll cut windows in it for "light" if she wants it...] I've considered opening up the garage just enough so that she can come and go freely. The problem with that is that it faces the road - a busy street - and I do NOT want kittens roaming the street. It is a dilemma.
I have no idea what we are going to do about this situation. If anyone has any suggestions, they would be more than welcome! The kittens - if they are born in our yard - will definitely have to be caught and taken to PAWS [as if PAWS doesn't already have enough of a "cat" problem!], or to the kennel, here. Perhaps kittens could all find home. I don't know. But I also know that we do not need or want more than one cat to "diversify" our family...
What to do. What to do. I could be really wrong about Stripe being pregnant. Although DH said to me yesterday, "I think you're right about Stripe." Hmmm. I think I am too. Worms? Could worms make a small cat - not much older than a kitten herself - wide around the middle? Why? Why do I have to have such a big heart where animals are concerned? I can't just let them go hungry... This isn't the first episode with stray cats, here. Last year when there were a few of them around I was putting food out and then I called PAWS and borrowed one of their have-a-heart traps. As soon as we baited the trap and put it out - all three cats disappeared - not a single one of them went into the trap. But that did take care of the cat problem, at our house. They just went somewhere else to be a problem.
Some thirty years ago a 23-year-old nurse from Britain, Helen Smith, "fell from a balcony during an illegal drinks party." She was cremated on Monday. Her father, who is a former police officer, refused to believe official reports that her death was an accident and would not allow her body to be released from a mortuary for burial. I know nothing about this whole story - thirty years ago I didn't know where Saudi Arabia was on a map.
Mr. Smith "accused the British and Saudi governments of covering up details of the tragedy" and that is why her body was kept at the mortuary for so long. Mr. Smith, "who is 83 and seriously ill with kidney disease" relented last month, after an appeal from his ex-wife, Jeryl, to "bring closure before either of them died." Helen's father believed that "her body would one day provide forensic evidence that she was murdered during that infamous illegal drinking party in Jeddah in May, 1979."
He told The Daily Telegraph, "The fact that my daughter is to be cremated and her ashes scattered does not change things. I will go to my grave believing that she did not die in an accident." What torment this has obviously been for this poor man. Surely there is a reason for him to believe as strongly as he does that his daughter was murdered.
Young Helen "fell from the balcony of the sixth-floor flat of Dr. Richard Arnot and his wife, Penny - supposedly either during or after sex with a Dutch tugboat captain... whose body was found impaled on a spiked fence." Yikes! Helen's father initially "accepted the official line that [she] had fallen to her death," but after seeing an article in "Private Eye" that alleged a cover-up had taken place he started investigating the matter further. With the collaboration of Paul Foot, the two wrote a book, "The Helen Smith Story," that suggests "incompetence and vested interests had obscured the truth about what happened."
What Mr. Smith believes happened is that "his daughter was raped and murdered, then carried to the street to make it seem as if she had fallen from the balcony." He alleges a "cover-up by the security services" which "provoked a diplomatic crisis between Britain and Saudi Arabia." After six autopsys, the "jury's open verdict prevails."
The aftermath of an ex-pat gathering at the Arnots' home attracted worldwide attention. It was a farewell party where only two women were present - Helen Smith and the hostess, Penny Arnot. Interesting that both women are accused of having "xes" that evening - Helen with the Dutch tugboat captain, and Mrs. Arnot with the man she hosted the farewell party for. [That is some goodbye!] The next morning, "Helen's body was found in the street 70ft below and the partly clothed body of Otten [the tugboat captain]... skewered on railings nearby. A Saudi investigation found that they had fallen from a balcony while having xes... and decided that the deaths were accidental."
"Allegations were made that Saudi guests were present but never named. The Arnots and most of their guests were arrested and thrown into a crowded, hot and dirty jail for four months... Richard Arnot and Tim Haytner [the man of honor at the party] were charged wtih drinking and other 'social offences' and sentended to be flogged; Arnot also received a one-year jail term. Penny Arnot was sentenced to a public lashing for unlawful intercourse." Diplomats intervened, all parties were released and their sentences were never carried out.
And ready to go. Who is Col. John P. Galligan (Retired), anyway? And WHY someone tell me would a RETIRED COLONEL even consider representing someone who KILLED FOURTEEN people in cold blood? Traitor. All I can say is that Nidal Hasan's family must be paying some pretty big bucks to the guy. Why else would he even consider taking the case of trying to defend someone who was nothing more than a cold-blooded gutless murderer?!! And, if the family has that much money, then the family needs to be paying the U.S. back the $400,000.00 - or whatever it cost - for the education that Hasan received courtesy of the American tax-payers. Along with compensating the families of the victims for their loss. Already, before a hearing has been held on what charges Hasan will face - besides MURDER - Mr. Galligan is getting ready to pay the insantity "card." Not that anything less should be expected. The insanity "card," the racism "card." Whatever "card." HOW ABOUT SOME PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY!!! Ooooh. This just pisses me off.
On a positive note John Allen Muhammed, who along with an accomplice, killed ten people at random is set to be executed today [if he hasn't already been executed]. The murders took place NINE years ago! Nine years this POS has been getting housed, being fed, received legal counsel and a slew of other "benefits" [cable television, use of a gym, medical care, etc.] courtesty of the U.S. tax-payers. I'll say this - I've said it before - the justice system in Saudi would never have allowed nine years to pass before executing beheading a criminal of this magnitude. There certainly is something to be said about the efficiency of the judicial system, here. [What is interesting to note about this POS is that very little was ever reported as to his reasons for killing innocent people. The whole "elephant in the room" thing that for "politically correct" reasons must never be mentioned.]
And, now, Nidal Hasan is going to be given the same amount of time... If not longer. Will he be given the death sentence? Nah. Probably not. Too many wusses sitting on court benches in the United States. Life maybe. Probably less than that. It will be his mental condition - the insanity defense - or his race... [Race!?!! He is an American for goodness sakes. Race has nothing to do with it.] Oh look. There's another elephant. Something. Justice will NOT be served.
"Infiltrators to face death." Easy. Just as simple as that. For all its faults - and what country doesn't have some - or many - I have to say at least Saudi Arabia has demonstrated that it has some brass ones. Compare that with the pansy-ass United States authorities which say "infiltrators" have should be allowed to stay and get jobs and educations and government health care - or in the most recent instance - given the title of Major in the Army. And of course since we can't kill them, and sending them home is out of the question, instead we allow them to bring their families and friends. Saudi Arabia is tough on crime, and, apparently, tough on "infiltrators." Infiltrators. Illegal aliens. Same same.
I have no idea what the conflict is between Yemen and Saudi Arabia. Too many hard core radicals - rebels - in Yemen trying to enter Saudi Arabia and shake things up? I don't know. Something to do with Al Qaeda. But Saudi Arabia isn't having any of it, and has given "Houthi rebels a stern warning... they would face death if they tried again to infiltrate into the Kingdom." Reminds me an awful lot of so many instances where in the United States "infiltrators" AND "illegal aliens" have entered and instead of being shot on sight, Americans are killed. We know for sure that the chump sitting at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue right now - along with his minions - certainly doesn't possess the brass ones to make a change. We are going to have to wait until 2012.
Conversely, Saudi Arabia has some of the same problems that the United States has. Bloated government. Perhaps they are trying to emulate the U.S. more than they let on [which means they'll have to start letting "infiltrators" in to stay!]. "210,000 Saudis have been given government jobs" during the past five years. Along with a lot of ex-pats. Best not to complain about that too much. DH works for a government company... Government here, though, is completely different than government in the United States. Monarchy versus democracy.
Not for me. Not for The Baby. And, six hours later, we still have some "clean up" to do. The finishing blade to her coat, trim some length of her "ears," and those feet. Those darn hairy little feet. She doesn't like me touching them. I use a small 5/8 blade to get in between the toes and trim around the nails with shears. Takes longer to do than anything else. She couldn't take any more today and I couldn't either. So, we will finish the feet tomorrow. Then give her a nice pedicure and paint her nails pink. Miss Pretty will be good to go for another month.
Unless you have researched it - and know the amount of grooming that goes into a Poodle - or a Labradoodle, for that matter - DO NOT get one. They are not "accessories." They are a lot - A LOT - of work. They do not have "fur." They have hair. And believe me, The Baby's hair grows a lot faster than mine! I would happily pay to have her groomed if the Dog Guru of the Sandbox was still doing it. She isn't. And she did such a good job, too... I could take The Baby to the kennel to have her groomed, but that hasn't worked out real well for her in the past. I think they are a bit rough - they can get her done in four hours - clipped, cut, nails done and a bath. That's okay. I am a stay at home Mommy. There is no reason why I can't do the grooming - all part of taking care of Kids!
Set of clippers - $100.00 9 Blades at $30.00 each - $270.00 Two sets of good shears $100.00 Shampoo / Conditioner - $10.00 Happiness derived from having The Baby - Priceless
If I can get the computer to NOT [ha! as if] act up tomorrow and I can download a picture, I'll post one of The Pretty Princess after I do her nails...
Here it comes! When you get thrown in jail and fined $25,000 or whatever outrageous amount it is that you cannot afford to pay because you can't afford to pay for your own health insurance coverage, don't come crying to me. Someone out there voted for "them." And whoever it was - you are going to pay. [How's that hopechange working out for you, now?] Good grief. After listening to henry waxman's barrage of accolades on nancy pelosi, it is a wonder he can even find his way out of her large intestine! Adding insult to injury - the king of tax evasion did the same. Who knew there was so much room inside np?! What a mess. I hope everyone remembers this in 2010!!!
A husband in the Sandbox is demanding that Canada - or someone - pay him $300,000 to divorce his wife. Nathalie Morin, hailing from Canada, married a Saudi national, Saeed Al-Shahrani. Apparently it is not a "happily ever after" kind of thing because she wants a divorce and she wants to return to Canada with her three children. Her husband wants to make her life a living... He says that is she, or Canada, or someone comes up with $300,000 then he will let her go. I don't know exactly how the divorce laws in this country work, but it seems to me that with men there is one set of rules [duh!] and with women another. A man can divorce his wife by simply texting her "I divorce thee I divorce thee I divorce thee." A woman, on the other hand, has to PAY to get out of the marriage contract. ["Saudi law states that if a woman wants a divorce but her husband does not she may pay her husband an agreed sum of money..."] The woman's mother, Johanne Durocher, who lives in Canada "has been campaigning for her daughter and grandchildren's return to Canada, [and] has condemned the proposal as a ransom demand." Gee. 'Ya think? The mother says she doesn't have "that kind of money." She has asked the Saudi government to intervene and pay her son-in-law off. Let us know how that works out for you. I mean, think of the precedent this would set... File under: You just can't make this stuff up.
The massacre at Fort Hood happened at around 1:30PM on Thursday - that would be 11:30PM, here in the Sandbox. The papers had already been sent to print. Thursday night in the Sandbox is the equivalent to Saturday night in the States. Someone would have had to work late in order to get it in print. And we all know that that just does not happen... Apparently it was a story just not worthy enough to justify someone having to work an extra hour or so. No matter. The story is in both of the English-language newspapers today.
Catchy headline, here: "Army psychiatrist goes beserk at Fort Hood." Interesting though, that what is actually in the physical green newspaper is not what is posted in the on-line version of the newspaper. Why? [This is one of the reasons we subscribe to the paper - both of them - because there are two different versions of each - the hard paper version and the on-line version.] In the Arab News, the bottom front page has a short eleven paragraph article from "agencies." Ditto for Saudi Gazette [article, here]. Associated Press and the MSM - or as Bernie Goldberg says, the LSM [lame stream media - he hit that one spot on!] - reports. Nothing new that hasn't been reported - mostly whining. Big surprise. Playing the victim card.
Much remains unasked though, and someone should be searching for many answers. He's in a coma right now? Isn't there some medical procedure that can "wake him up?" Do it. Does the killer have any money? Today the LSM is reporting that he said his good-byes. Aww. How touching. [Gag!] Why do I want to know if he has any money? First of all he needs to repay the U.S. for the "elite" education he received. What does a medical college degree go for these days? And then the follow up to become a specialist? A lot, no doubt. Then, he needs to plan on paying for his own medical care. Save the medical plan coverage that he has for someone that really needs it. And finally, he needs to be responsible for paying the families of the victims in some way shape or form. Go after his parents. His cousin. His grandmother! I will never be convinced that he didn't have this preplanned and we know that information they will be able to get from his computer will proove just that. Others knew. They had a duty to tell someone. Hey, that's just my opinion.
Nancy Pelosi is happy. Between the Fort Hood Massacre and then the crazy loon who went on a shooting spree yesterday in Florida have taken the spotlight off of the butt-load of crap that Americans are about to bend over for. Is K-Y Jelly going to be taxed in her "health care catastrophe?" Probably. Everything else is. Doesn't matter. We're all going to need it. America WHAT is wrong over there?! The administration currently in charge is doing more to destroy us than I ever imagined could be possible. Makes me not want to come home. Staying here isn't part of the plan either - we would not be allowed to. Reciprocity? What's that?! Exactly. [Has anyone else read all or parts of this? What about the section that says that if you don't comply you will go to jail? Something about the Ways and Means Committee. You know. That same Committee that has been shielding charlie rangel for tax evasion for years now. The one that HE is the chairman of. A perfect example of the "do as I say, not as I do" rule. Or, more apropos, one set of rules for the self-anointed elite and another for us. The lowly working class tax payers. Man-oh-man-oh-man. My complete and utter loathing of everyone that is steering Washington these days has surpassed over-drive - with my contempt and hatred for one - the jeja - over shadowing the majority. On the bright side, I have lost some weight. These people make me ill. All of them. [Well, okay. There are a few exceptions. Dayum few, though.]
Hmm. What else. Over here. In the news. This is good. Two women - professors - have been arrested for driving. They HAD to go to the mall. The article says they were "forced." Seems their driver "escaped" a few days ago and they had no male relative to drive them. HAD to go to the mall. I understand. But backing up just for a second, why did their driver escape? Perhaps they were mistreating him? They weren't paying him? He left for greener pastures? Something. He didn't just up and leave for no reason.
Good luck with this one. "Fathers may face jail for children without ID." Umm hmm. How does a man even know how many children he has if he is allowed four wives and several different types of marriages? Same thing has been tried in the States for low-life fathers that fail to pay child support. [I know this from first-hand experience.] Most of them get a pass and never see the inside of a jail cell. And their children? The rest of America supports them, via welfare and other "progressive" programs initiated by both right and left administrations with no regard as to who is really paying for all the freebies. That would be us. Personal responsibility? Never mind.
It was bath day today. Oh what fun! The Boy is actually very, very good about this. The Baby? Get her pretty hair wet? Why?!? [She is going to be doubly thrilled about tomorrow. Tomorrow is hair-cut day.] I know. I live on the edge. It is pretty wild in the Sandbox some days, isn't it?
Where your skills would be appreciated by the loony left. Heck. Nancy Pelosi's gang would be applauding your efforts and you probably could have been a part of the jeja's administration. Birth Control Czar. Or something. Interesting how there is no mention of the man's nationality. You can bet that if he was Indian, Sri Lankan or Filipino that would be noted. Just like in the States where the MSM plays "guess the party affiliation," in the Sandbox they play "guess the nationality." If someone gets in trouble in the States - you know - like the guy who has been charged with insider trading - there will be absolutely NO mention of his political affiliation if that person supports democrats. Conversely, if the person supported the GOP, on the other hand, it would be front page news! Yeah. We are all onto the game and know exactly how it is played!
PCRC. Big time. 431 accidents in 12 hours. How many dead? No mention. Good that "police were putting into action plans for traffic control." Let us know how that works out.
Blame the maid. It is always the maid's fault, isn't it? Another one absconded with the family jewels. Umm hmmm. Sure she did. I have a theory on this. Perhaps if you actually PAID your maid like you promised you would when you hired enslaved her, then she wouldn't have to steal from you.
Nary a mention of the shooting that happened at Fort Hood in today's papers where TWELVE people were killed. Must have happened too late? What time yesterday? 3:30 [Eastern Standard Time] or so in the States? That would be 11:30, here. UPDATED: Bill Cowan is the only man being interviewed by Fox News with brass ones. He said that the shooter, Nidal Hasan, was extensively trained as a physician - he is a psychiatrist - [courtesy of the U.S. - you're welcome] and that if he was in the position that he was in, as a grown-up, that if supposedly was upset because of someone picking on him, he should have been able to take it. [I'd post a link to the video of this if I could find it.] Cry baby is what Hasan is. Put your big boy panties on and man up. The killer is still alive but has been injured. Aww. Isn't that just too bad. I hope he suffers. No pain meds for him! [Shep Smith just doesn't get it. Shep Smith just doesn't want to get it. He talks to the killer's cousin who says one thing and makes it quite clear. Then he asks the SAME question to someone else so that he can get a different answer. Jerk.] UPDATED AGAIN: Major General Bob Scales (Retired) has some brass ones, too.
That if the "Hail rapist" was any other nationality but the one he is, he would have already been beheaded. Proof. Yeah, well, kind of sort of. Three people were executed beheaded for robbing a woman and then smothering her. Two Sri Lankan's and an Indian. Apparently their crime was much worse than raping FIVE little boys and leaving one of them to die in the desert.
...they lived happily ever after. Sure. "96 women inmates enter into wedlock." Aww. Isn't that just wonderful. Hey. Doesn't everyone deserve the opportunity to happiness in some way, shape or form? The women, all "inmates in various shelter homes" are having marriages arranged for them. [What could possibly go wrong?!] The women "were all convicted of violating moral regulations but later repented..." Well, then. Everything will be just hunky dory. Man of these women "were driven to violating morals as they had been deprived of their rights by male relatives such as greedy fathers." Huh? Apparently, regardless of the fact that many are now "spinster age," their parents had not allowed them to marry because the dowry was "not high enough" or their potential suitors were from the "wrong tribe." Nasser Al-Zahrani, Executive President of the Reconciliation Committe, places blame of the "fathers for marrying and divorcing several wives, which he claimed had a damaging impact on how their daughters were raised." Gee. Ya' think? [I guess that a man's right to four wives really isn't enough. Hmmph.] Oh. And let's not forget the "evil impact some television channels have on children." Always have to get that one last "dig" in there. Blame television. Blame the "West."
For entertainment at Sabra's Sandbox, today... The Kids are having a sleep over with one of their little friends. [One of DH's buddies asked us to keep his four-legged "Kid" for the day/night so he can go out of town. He will be back at noon tomorrow.] Our house is going to be full of energy today. The Baby and her little friend play so well together. The Boy will join in occasionally, but he just doesn't have the stamina to keep going and going and going that the two little Girls have. It will be fun. And, really, if you already have two, what's one more?
We finally had the oven-roasted spicy sweet potato wedges last night. They were positively the best sweet potatoes I have ever eaten in my entire life. DH luved 'em. Absolutely Delish!!! And, sooo easy. What more could you possibly ask for!?!
Prep time is like ten minutes - however long it takes to peel four sweet potatoes. I mixed the ingredients together in a gallon size zip-lock bag and then tossed the potatoes in there, poured them onto a cookie sheet and popped 'em in the oven. Very little mess. Very little fuss.
Double the amount of brown sugar and use a half teaspoon of the cayenne pepper. Yum yum yum. A definite "keeper," that's for sure.
Seems to be a "Mozilla Firefox" problem. I can't "exit" out. The little circle that spins around in the top right hand corner never stops spinning. Just goes round and round and round and round... It locks up the computer and I have to completely shut down the system and restart it. If I use Explorer to try to post on my blog - the posts come out looking completely different than the "preview." Who knows what is wrong with it. By now it is no secret that I am "technologically challenged." I don't even know where to start to try to correct whatever the problem is. And man-oh-man-oh-man am I frustrated with it!
The frustration doesn't stop there, though - with the computer. No sireee. I am frustrated with my dryer, too. Well, not actually the dryer, but the repair guy who is trying to pull a fast one. The company maintenance people will fix personal appliances, now, but we have to provide the parts. Not a bad deal. I am happy that the company maintenance will take care of this for us, and we have no problem paying for the parts. Beats the cost of a new dryer. They took my dryer away last week to "fix" it. We asked the man who took the dryer out if someone could get the parts for us. He said, "Yes. Call Raoul at 55-555-5555. Great. Thanks. A day or so later, DH got an e-mail from maintenance that said we need three parts: a high limit thermostat, a low limit thermostat and a set of drum rollers. Fine. Where do we get them? There was a "vendor" provided in that e-mail and a phone number. I called Raoul and said, "Can you get the parts from 'Saudi Appliance Parts' for us?" ["SAP," from now on - not the actual name of the vendor.] He said he couldn't get them that day as he was "bizeee." Okay. Well, how about tomorrow then? "I will call there, Madam, and order for you the parts." You mean to tell me you are too "bizeee" to call today? I'll call and order the parts. You just go pick them up for me. "Yes, Madam." I called SAP. Two of the three things we need were in stock and the third would be ordered and would take a day or two to get. Fine. A couple of dozen phone calls and almost a week later... Raoul called this morning and said that the dryer would be fixed today. He just happened to have the parts on hand. DH spoke to him. "How much do the parts cost?" "You pay what you desire, Sir." Ah-ha! One of those deals, then. In other words, the guy - Raoul - who, by the way, sounds pretty dayum Filipino to me - used company parts and now wants for us to pay him for them. I don't think so. We have no problem paying for the parts, but we want it honest. Don't tell me to order the parts from SAP - and then find out from SAP [yesterday] that you have not gone to get them. So you've fixed our dryer - rigged it, more likely. Don't think, Raoul, for a skinny second that I am going to pay you for something that you either stole or "borrowed." I want an invoice with my dryer and I want to know that you have fixed my dryer with the proper parts - even though you never got the parts that you had me order - and I want to know that the proper entity is being paid for the parts. No. You are not going to have us pay what we "desire" when that is NOT the way it is supposed to work. See? That is why I have this ongoing problem with Filipinos. The houseboy who lied and stole from us, Rev who is constantly trying to one-up the system and screw his customers, and now, Raoul. Find me an honest one, here. Just one! Whatever.
In today's news...
There is more to this than what we are being told. A maid tried to kill her sponsor's wife. Sure she did. [But if she did, she did it with good reason, no doubt.] Nope. I'm guessing the man tried to kill his own wife. Or something. But I'd be willing to wager that the maid didn't do it just randomly...
No reason given why the execution beheading of the "Hail rapist" has been put on hold. You can bet your life's savings, though, that if the man who raped a couple of FIVE little boys and left one of them dead in the desert were an Indian, or an Asian, or a Sri Lankan or any other nationality that the execution beheading would have already taken place. A little more information on the man, Muhammed Basheer al-Ramaly, here, under the headline: "Pervert to be beheaded and crucified in Saudi Arabia."
She probably just wouldn't listen. Or, maybe she just wouldn't shut up. Something. A man's eleventh - ELEVENTH! - wife is accusing him of "repeated physical violence" and says that "he had locked her up." "The Saudi man, said to be in his fifties, reportedly struck his 45-year-old wife 'severely' in the face and other areas and locked her in the house for 'several days.'" [I thought men, here, were only allowed to have four wives. The article says his latest marriage was two months ago... How many divorces has he had? How many wives does he have currently. No matter.] Why? Why lock her in the house? It isn't like someone is going to be able to see the bruises he left since she probably is not allowed to go outside without being dressed in head-to-toe black, right? Reportedly the wife "tried to report the incidents to the Family Protection Administration through their 1919 number specifically to deal with domestic violence, but they repeatedly failed to pick up the phone." Hmmph. What a surprise.
Apparently the 1919 hot-line is pretty busy. "...the number of complaints concerning home imprisonment from wives in the Eastern Province was on the rise, with 45 calls received in the past two weeks alone." Wow. 45! A police spokesman says not to bother calling the "hot-line," or the police for protection because "cases of domestic disputes handled formally by the authorities can lead to a fracturing of family relationships, and urged families to resolve among themselves internal disputes." He said what?!!? Just beat your wife and lock her up. There. Problem solved.
Is the number of SDS deaths equal to or greater than the number of deaths caused by PCRC every day? Just curious. Twenty-four people - TWENTY-FOUR! - die every day in the Sandbox from "sudden death syndrome." That is a little alarming, isn't it? A study is being conducted, right now. In the UK "statistics show that 12 persons die per week from SDS." What is the population of the Sandbox in comparison to the UK? The Sandbox has a population of 28,686,633 and the UK has a population of 61,383,000. So, a little less than half... Yet, twice the number of SDS's. Interesting.
Just for something fun. What a great post! I can sooo, sooo relate to this: "Procrasticleaning for the masses." Funny. Not hysterical tears streaming down your face funny, but funny.
Lastly - in good news - big congratulations to both Chris Christie and to Bob McDonnell for their victories yesterday in New Jersey and Virginia, respectively. And to Doug Hoffman, as well - who did not win - but gave it a great effort. If Newt Gingrich had a set of balls he would have been behind Mr. Hoffman from the get go, but nooo... Instead, the GOP chose to throw a rino in the ring - and we all know how that worked out. Dede Scozzafava should be required to pay back every single penny the RNC ponied up for her. Oh, and how's that constant campaigning going for you jeja? Perhaps you can now give a little thought to your Afghanistan problem. You know. After your midnight post-b-ball-game snack. Or something.
DH and I ran downtown to do a couple of quick errands today. Finally got those sweet potatoes I've been needing, along with cayenne pepper, to make the oven-roasted spicy sweet potato wedges [we'll have them tomorrow] I've been wanting to make since I saw the recipe...
Went to Sears. Not a real Sears but a kind of sort of want to be Sears. There is a Sears sign outside - a small one - but it is really Zania [I think]. They sell basic Sears [Kenmore - along with a couple of other brands] appliances. We need a larger freezer and I've had it on our to do list to go by and get one for a while now. We've already looked at it, measured it, etc. Know exactly which one I want. It is expensive. Appliances from the States are, here. Part of the cost of living in the Sandbox. That's all. The nice thing is that you can bargain with the shop-keepers. Try doing that in the States. Still didn't get the freezer, though. The best price they could give me started off being 10% lower than the asking price, then the manager said he'd give us 15% off the price. No sale going on right now. The 25% off sale ended after Eid last month - although it ran for the entire month of Ramadan [of course, I wasn't here]. The shop manager wouldn't give me 25% off today, "Ze zale es feeNEEshed." Fine. I'll be back later this month during Eid when there is another sale. Apparently Sears is not in need of cash today. No biggie.
On the way home, as we were sitting at a light waiting to turn, there was a Traffic Police car perched on a median at an angle - like he meant business with speeders and red light runners. Good to know that those cars can jump those curbs to get up there. DH and I both made a comment about it to each other. Here's the thing, though. The guy was FAST ASLEEP IN HIS CAR. Literally. Sleeping, slumped over with his head off the head-rest. Eyes SHUT! Not going to get too many speeders and red-light jumpers that way, Buddy. We tooted our horn as we drove by - and the man slept right through it. Unbelievable. Just unbelievable. [No. No pictures.] There probably would have had to be the loud crash of metal-on-metal to wake the man from his, obviously, much needed slumber. Even then I'm not sure he would have woken up. No need being out there on the job issuing tickets, though. The police are the ones who get in trouble for issuing tickets, NOT the drivers who break the law. It certainly is an interesting concept. I mean, really. Why bother with police in the first place if they are not going to be allowed to do their job?
And, speaking of drivers... I am very thankful to the man who had the right-of-way at a four-way stop today as I left the post office. He was paying attention! I was - but not enough. He was clearly there first. He stopped. I stopped. As he pulled forward, I pulled forward. Problem is that he was turning! Fortunately - he was paying more attention than I was. I anticipated that he was going to go straight. Can't blame him, though. He had his blinker on and I just didn't see it until he was coming at me - we would have done the "T-Bone" thing if he would have been driving fast or recklessly. Instead, he was driving like a perfect driver. I smiled - mouthed "I'm sorry" - and put my hands up - like "oops!" and he waived me on as I cracked the window and yelled "Thank you!" If that maneuver would have taken place down town, I would not be sitting at my computer chair right now. Our compound security DOES issue tickets to anyone speeding or running a red light or not abiding by the two-second rule at stop signs. Because of tickets that get issued - and everyone's raises are effected if you've got a ticket on your record [stating this with first-hand experience...], drivers on the compound are much, much more conscientious and courteous and much more law abiding than those drivers off the compound, that's for sure. Thank you Mr. Saudi driver for being so alert! And for your courtesy. The accident would have been my fault if it would have happened. I promise to be more aware, from now on, at our four-way stops [of which there are many] for turning signals...
Miss Pretty is all better. She had twelve stitches removed yesterday, and no longer has to be on her leash at all times. We can go for long walks, she can run and play outside [and inside] with her Big Brother. All dangerous toys have been removed from our house and she will never, ever get another squeaky ball to play with again! Life is good for The Pretty Princess. Things are back to "normal."
every man who runs a red light in the Sandbox were to be sentenced like this. Eight years in jail and 1,200 lashes for running a red light, crashing into a car, killing three people and injuring two others. PCRC.
I designed a perfect menu for an entire week. Went to the Commissary and got most of the ingredients. I ended up switching around the order of things because there have been no sweet potatoes on the shelves since I planned our dinner's for a week. Today, almost a week later, still no sweet potatoes. Oh, and there is no cayenne pepper.* What a surprise. We are still going to have the hamour tonight, but instead of sweet potatoes we'll be having something with zucchini. There is always zucchini in the produce department.
Now, to get planning on this week's menu, and do so with ingredients that ARE available.
*Next to the invisible poppy seeds and the invisible lemon pepper.
If I wasn't so fussy about my laundry, I'd take it all to be done. The dryer is gone - being repaired [if they can get the parts - which, supposedly, are on order]. So, until the dryer comes back I am not doing any laundry. It is piling up. Knowing that Inam would be here today, and would need his cleaning rags, I took the full bag to Dhahran Laundromat. Five riyals. Five riyals! To clean an entire bag of rags. That is $1.34!! Wash, dried and folded. Incredible. How does this company even make any money? Look at these prices:
The exchange rate is 3.73 - or, 3.73 riyals equals one American dollar. The most expensive item on the entire list [which the scanner cut off] is 10 riyals to dry clean a comforter. How much does it cost to dry clean a comforter in the States? A whole lot more than $2.68, I bet!
On second thought, I am going to give them a try. Taking a small load of jeans to have done. They can't possibly harm those, right? I'll let you know tomorrow when I pick them up.
Once I get over being angry at what happened during the first THREE minutes, and then, much later on, the hypocritical disregard to what one person's belief is over that of another, I'll try to post on it. Am I glad I went? Sure. Something different and something outside of my "comfort zone." All for $13.40.
Even more interesting than the event I attended, though, was something that happened outside afterward. Slightly disturbing, but, then, hey, teenagers will be teenagers, right? What the boys there were doing was absolutely nothing more than what boys all over the world engage in. As I was leaving the area I had to walk through a very large courtyard with brick-paved walkways and families enjoying the park atmosphere outside around 9:45. Nothing unusual about that. The weather was perfect for full head-to-toe black dress - or in my case - a long-sleeved shirt [I didn't wear the off-white sweater I has originally planned on]... Families out enjoying themselves on what is "Saturday" night in the Sandbox.
Walking down one of the pathways I had to pass by a group of teenage boys - eight or nine, maybe ten of them - one member of that group had everyone's attention - he should have been whispering - but he was not. The part of the conversation that I caught as I was right next to them went something like this, "Best party ever. Before she left I f^(ked her right there on the table." [Nice. Someone probably eats off that table...] Of course I turned around - did that kind of "double-take" thing. The boys knew that I was staring at them and at the same time looking somewhat shocked. [Shocked isn't really the word I'm looking for. Perplexed, maybe.] Whether or not the young man doing the bragging actually did what he said he did, who knows? Who cares? My thoughts immediately turned to Mazen Abdul Jawad. "I dare you to post your braggadacio on YouTube. Just see where boasting about your xesual exploit gets you."
In and of itself that this takes place in this society really is no different than anywhere else, other than the fact that this particular society prides itself on being so far morally above any other. Umm hmmm...
Once upon a time, in the not too distant past, there was a Woman who thought she was living the American Dream. Her childhood, although now not particularly memorable, was fairly normal. She went to school. She got a job. She met a tall, blonde and handsome pilot and married him. It was all good. They were the perfect “Ken and Barbie” couple. The handsome pilot built her the house of her dreams in North Carolina, where she thought they would live for the remainder of their many, many days to come. Circumstances, totally out of the control of this lovely Ken and Barbie couple, changed everything. Shortly afterward, they came to find themselves living a whole new life in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. Oh, sure, they are still the perfect “Ken and Barbie” couple, but Barbie now wears an abeyah over her designer outfits when she leaves her house, she has given up her pink convertible because she is not allowed to drive, and she no longer has an office that she visits five days a week, instead choosing to spend her time as a stay-at-home wife and an over-protective, doting Mommy to their two absolutely adorable, much loved and very, very pampered four-legged “Kids.”
The exchange rate is 3.73 - or, 3.73 riyals equals one American dollar. The most expensive item on the entire list [which the scanner cut off] is 10 riyals to dry clean a comforter. How much does it cost to dry clean a comforter in the States? A whole lot more than $2.68, I bet!
