June comes to a sizzling close

It's a 106 degrees in the shade outside, just another sunny day in paradise. Lol, actually I am getting used to the heat, but it wears on you. In just six short weeks I board the Emirates Airline Jumbo jet for 11 days of much needed vacation.

I have missed Cowboy this week, so if you are reading the blog in the states consider this an official "shout-out". My plans are firming up for my trip home, now I just have to work out the details. Three day's in Virginia, 1 in Florida, 1 in Tennessee, 1 in Pennsylvania, 2 in St. Louis and 1 in Ohio. The rest of the time either driving or flying...sounds relaxing...doesn't it? :-)

We are definitely on pace for another record month at work, although with the pressure from the top, you would think we would be falling far short of plan. It is tough adequately covering vacations for the Account Execs (they get 30 days each year), but we should be at full staffing for July. Kelly got back from her three week trip to North America yesterday. Nasser returns on the 30th after being gone for 40 days. I honestly believe July sales will be less than June...The string of records will be stopped. So many westerners leave the country during the miserable heat. There were empty seats at church this morning, and they are going to stop having the evening service during July and August.
You might have noticed I posted a picture of Camel meat that was available in LuLu grocery stores deli counter. It has sparked a debate amongst my ex-pat friends here. Bob really wants to try it (apparently you cook it very slow, good for stews) I wouldn't take a bite for $100. Nick doesn't want to try it either, but knowing Nick, he would try it for $100.
I made a long term commitment today at Hyper Panda. I spent 49 Dirhams buying a toaster. I now have eggs, cheese and a toaster, sounds like I can finally make one of my favorite bachelor meals. Speaking of meals, Mimi is settling in, (Nick's wife) she is having the normal time adjustments that play havoc with your body for the first month or so, but I think they are getting acclimated. The "Dean" family has invited me to dinner tonight (seafood restaurant that I have not tried yet). I am sure it will be fun. Their son is not having fun and wants to go home to the States. I know, mind my own business...
Georges wanted me to meet a lovely young lady friend of his last week, so I succumbed and met her. She is a 30 year old flight attendant from Emirates Airline (Bulgarian). We met for coffee, and then I accompanied Georges and her to Catholic Mass last Friday. It was interesting, the only snag was the service that Georges took us to was in Arabic. So neither Lucia nor I understood a word. I guess for centuries the Catholic church had mass in Latin...oh well....
I have decided to delay my move to a new apartment until January 1st. Our office is not moving to Al Quoz until November/December so it seemed logical to save the hassle of moving until then.
Oh well, boring blog today, I will try and do something interesting this week to provide insite on my stay in the UAE on  next weeks blog....
Enjoy your weekend!

Cowboy Rides into the Western horizon....

Well it is a bittersweet Friday here in the UAE. Richard (or Cowboy as we know him) boards a plane with Mary this evening to move back to the United States. I first got to know Cowboy back in 1995 when I was a new Marketing Associate working at SYSCO Atlanta. Richard was the Vice President of Merchandising (procurement) and was very popular for his kindness and wholesomeness that he exhibited in his everyday life. I left SYSCO Atlanta in 1998, but our paths would still cross occasionally at National Conferences and more frequently when I joined Buckhead Beef in Atlanta in 2005. It was really a nice touch for me on a personal basis when Cowboy joined Bob and I this past November here in Dubai. Richard got me involved with church and always willingly helped me get tasks done at work. Was very supportive both professionally and even more so - personally. Unfortunately things have not been going as planned with work, and he and Senior management decided to end his Transmed relationship. He is very popular with our sales team and merchandisers, he lived a life as a great witness and left a lasting impression of the goodness of Americans and the goodness of God in his life with the people that he crossed paths with here in the UAE. I choked back tears saying goodbye to him at church this morning. I am so happy for him that he gets to return to the United States - much richer for the experiences that he has had here. He spent his last evening handing out soap and toiletry items at a work camp, witnessing to the downtrodden here in the UAE. So as I am happy for him to return to his kids and grand kids in the greatest nation in the world, I am sad for my loss of a close and trusted friend at work, and the country that I am now residing in has just lost an asset as the great American Cowboy is gone now, but assuredly he will never be forgotten.
Speaking of good things coming to an end, Rodz and I have stopped seeing each other. Relationship stress (sounds like a polite explanation) drove us to take a break from each other. I am missing her friendship and her funny little mannerism's, we are still friends, we will see what the long term prognosis is, she is leaving for a six week vacation to the Philippines in mid July...
My other regular date for the past few months Nick, has just added a family to his residence. His wife Mimi and his son got here Tuesday night. I haven't seen them yet, but I will try and hook up with them for either lunch or dinner tonight.
Hayley joined the team as the newest hire on Thursday. She is from Brooklyn, New York and will be an addition to the Sales force, not replacing anyone. We are having a huge month, we had planned and fore casted slowing sales because of the traditionally slow season (yes, people leave a country with highs now averaging 105 to 108 daily (111 already once this month) and the Ex-Pats that stay behind just don't eat as much. It looks like we will have a record month and we could double sales from last June 2010. 100% growth might just make Bob's boss smile (the odds are 2-1 against seeing teeth-lol-well teeth with the lips curled up, I am sure we will see teeth).The nationality that is vacating the UAE in droves right now is the Indian population. It is monsoon season back in India and lots of the largest ethnic group living here in this dry desert, return home to "enjoy" the rain.
I did have a great view of the lunar eclipse this week. The full moon was very visible from my apartment balcony. I took some pictures. but for some reason total darkness doesn't make that good of a photo. Go figure!

Now onto important things. I absolutely love ESPN America. This weekend is the US Open Golf Tourney and ESPN America has 7 hours of live golf coverage on each day this weekend. I have Phil Mickelson in the golf pool that I am involved with back in the states. Tiger isn't playing, should be an awesome opportunity to enjoy some golf and maybe, just maybe see Phil win. First round was last night, yes Phil played very poorly and is in jeopardy of missing the cut. So much for golf filling the void left from the departure of my friends with time for ole John.
Don't feel too badly for me, my right hand gal, Kelly, returns from her 3 weeks in North America next Wednesday. Time to scramble for some lunch, happy Fathers Day to all, and have a great weekend!

Toilet Paper rationing?

Paper products in he UAE are poor at best. When Fred visited me back in January, one thing I asked him to bring was good toilet paper. So Fred, duty bound, brought a big package of Charmin with him. Well, I used up the cheap stuff I had, and got to start enjoying the luxury of American T.P. in early March. Well, as you may recall, the parents visited in March, and my luxury toilet paper lasted only a few weeks. After going back to the cheap stuff, I decided to pay for the good stuff. A 9 roll pack cost me 50 dirhams. Yes I paid $13.61 for toilet paper...($1.51 a roll). So yes, on my August visit to the states, I will "top off" my suitcase with American ingenuity...soft toilet paper.

Speaking of visits to the states, (my other choice for a writers segway was going to be the "crappy" weather, so be happy for the direction I took) Bob is still in the United States, I spoke with him Tuesday while he was enjoying the beach with his family. Speaking of families, Nick's wife and son are packing up and will be arriving from the states to join Nick next week. They arrive the same evening Bob gets back, but not on the same airline. Those not arriving back, include Kelly (should be in Vegas about right now enjoying that Bachelorette party) and Nasser, who is staying out of work in Lebanon (the country not the town) a little longer recovering from some surgery that didn't go well first time around, so he had to have more. Haley Schall (from New York) starts her Transmed career next Thursday. The team is growing. We are having a great start to sales in the month of June, mostly due to some export business to our troops and support personnel in Afghanistan. Who would have imagined that I would be responsible for bringing in container loads of American Angus beef to the UAE, and that our biggest customers would be Americans fighting for our freedoms in a neighboring country, half a world away from the United States.
Cowboy, Loren, Georges, Hani and I enjoyed hosting a dinner last night with Henry, "Z" and Lisa from IFG (SYSCO's International operation) at "Jamie Oliver's Italian Restaurant in Festival City. It was interesting having dinner where the Americans outnumbered the Arabs. Dinner was very tasty, I had "prawn" pasta...and we had a really nice time. IFG has requested that I spend a day at their facility in Florida while I am stateside in August...not quite sure how that would work or if I want to give up a couple of days of my vacation while I am stateside.
ESPN America has been a "God send" for me. They are showing 300 Major League baseball games live this season...this morning at 6 am (it is my off day - lol) I got up and watched my Cincinnati Reds shut out the Giants. They were playing in San Francisco and as I sat here watching I reflected on my childhood, trying my best to stay awake and listen to Marty and Joe on Reds radio as the Reds played west coast ballgames. Now here I am 35 year later trying to stay awake and listen to Marty and Thom (sadly Joe Nuxhall passed away a couple of years ago) and root for my Reds. Back then my favorite player was Johnny Bench, now it is Jay Bruce. Yes I know, father son radio team, I am "J.B." and my two favorite players are "JB's"...really doesn't mean that much, but I get paid by the word on this blog, so forgive my ramblings...lol. I am sure that the NFL (if they have a season) will be much more available this season thanks to good ole ESPN!
Everyday is over a 100 degrees now, it is almost time to turn off the hot water heater. I did give notice to my land lord that I am moving out at the end of July, so it is time to get busy apartment hunting. I am going to see if Mimi (Nick's wife) will aid in my apartment search when she gets here next week.
I am homesick for America, and with all of the things I want to do while I am home, it seems so long til I leave (August 5th) for such a short trip.
Just had my Kellogg's breakfast and it is time to get dressed and face the world.
Have a great weekend!

Which is worse? It is 111 degrees right now, or that the low tonight is forecast to be 90?

Is this what hell feels like? No, this is the cooler month of summer, early June with July and August waiting to sizzle me like "Kenyon Bacon". The good news is that for now the humidity is low, so this is like Las Vegas hot, not Atlanta or St. Louis steamy. The humidity rises here as the season progresses. Soon it will be time to turn off the hot water heater. I remember last July when I got here, Fadi telling Bob and I that the cool water was so warm from the desert heating in the summer, that everyone turned their hot water heater off so that they got cool water from the water that was stored in the air conditioned rooms where the hot water was, and their hot water from the cold faucet where the water is heated by the desert pipes that carry the desalinated water to the city from the ocean. I thought he was exaggerating. then, for the next four months, I turned mine off (sorry to doubt you Fadi...lol).
Juan returned from getting married in the United States. His new bride and their child will be moving here in a few weeks. I have been having lunch with Nick most Fridays, but not today, Juan stayed over with Nick, so the boys are enjoying their day without me. I am starved, so blog typing will be frantic!
I dropped Bob off at the airport last night, so he should be back in Atlanta (right about now) seeing Sandy and his kids for the next couple of weeks.. Several of the managers from SYSCO will be here next week, could lead to some interesting meetings with them having to deal with me....
Kelly left for Canada on Wednesday. I really will miss her, as she is gone for the next three weeks, and she is "my right hand" here. We ended up easing past 7 million for the month of May, missing a record month by 25,000 dirhams. It was 75% growth over May of 2010, not too shabby. Business has slowed in the restaurants, but we have picked up some extra "event" business that might let us top 7 million in June also, which would approach 90% growth over last year.
Fred filed my taxes in the US this week. Refunds from Missouri, Illinois and the Feds! I spent time this week (I was missing the US big time) calculating my financial future by how long I stay here. If I left now, I would be in better shape than when I left (barely), but if I am here a year from now, I would be poor, but debt less...Then every year after that is much better. I have to decide somewhere along the way, if the optimum stay will be 3 and half years (my contract length - December 2013) 6 years or 10. I will be 49 in October, so I do want to return and work a few good years in the states, somehow, I know down inside that my stay will run its course and the planning won't matter, but it makes the tough days better, realizing the payoff in the end.
Speaking of returning to the United States, Two months from today, I land on the tarmac at JFK. I have a tentative schedule, but will need to get serious about planning on my details of who I get to visit and spend time with. It will probably be the only time I return to the states until July of 2012. I like that I am renting a car in New York (I have never been to NYC) and driving on tour. I do like paying for $1.80 gas here, so I may get sticker shock filling up on my 12 day tour. Speaking of driving...Vineet passed his driving test on the first try. I paid out the Vinny the Pooh driving pool this week, yes gamblers, if you wagered 5 bucks on Vinny passing on the first try, you collected a cool 15.75. Kelly had two entries so she was the big winner (31.50) - (next to Vinny who went out and promptly got a new car). Now, he needs to help the American that hired him, by getting new business in his territory.
The old love life had its ups and downs this week. Rodz and I had a very relaxing and romantic his and her massage at a very nice spa here, but, well...oh well things are changing and it takes so much effort to keep everyone happy when you are working 70 plus hours a week, each and every week... I think work is winning the battle, and that's too bad. I came here to conquer the challenge of the job, and in the process create financial freedom for myself, if I found a woman to spend my life with that would have been a nice fairy tale ending...and a bonus to be sure...
My stomach is growling, time to grab some lunch. Have a great week in your corner of the world, I will check in with you next week!  Please keep us all in your thoughts and prayers.