Eat your Veggies and Say your Prayers

I need a vacation. It is so hot so early here in the UAE. This past week the  temperatures hovered around 110 each day and as previously advertised the lows near 90 (On Tuesday the overnight low was 94. Man it is hot. Muzzy (now affectionately known as "Tonto") and his cousin Kumail have both taken vacations with their families to travel to Mecca in Saudi Arabia. I am sure that they are both praying for me (such good men), as they have left me behind here in the oven of the Middle East in what I am sure is purgatory. Well , let's hope it is purgatory and not a permanent resting place. Pay your taxes, eat your veggies and say your prayers and maybe God will be good to you...
I was missing some of my old buddies especially much this past week. According to the blog stats about 50 people read this each week. Now I know some of them, Mom, Fred, and Muzzy Tonto never miss a Friday morning.
Danny Messimer sends me an email allmost weekly asking for more sex and violence in my ramblings (I am wishing for the same thing to report about...lol). Danny wrote me recently saying he was getting married (sure sign of the Appocolypse) again, and I want to meet his bride.
This time 27 years ago, I along with Fred, Janie and some of my other life long friends (followed a year later by Danny, Nancy and Lee) donned the cap and gown and graduated from King College. My decision to attend King was the best and most fortuitous of my life. Those 4 years were the glory days of my life, and I made awesome friends that I love like family to this day. This core of friends (and Dan Scott whom I met in Law School - That was my first time in Purgatory lol) have stood by each other as other friends have come and gone from my life. I made some close friendships in my my years in St. Louis (Todd, Rez, Chad, Amy, Nate and Stacy) and I am sure that they will always be close to me - But, being over here in this isolationism I have found myself clinging to people for friendship and support. I have been influenced by men like Richard Ashlock, who have passed through my life, and hopefully some of the goodness that he exuded in his daily life has rubbed off on me. Bob and Nick and I hunkered down over here in some respect, clinging to each other in an almost needy way fighting to keep our santity and endure the trials that life has presented to us. All of the people I have mentioned above will always be friends of mine. I truly hold each of them close to my heart, and get a little misty eyed when I think of them and how special they all are to me. Now I am sure I missed one of those exceptional people that have passed through my life, but that's the point of the above....these people have not passed through my life, but have joined me on a journey through a life. Each and everyone a better person than me and I have been blessed to know them and to share that loving friendship. Well an unexpected blessing has been bestowed to me here in Dubai, I have suddenly been surrounded by some very special people who I cling to, and I don't want them to pass through my life. I want them to share my journey. Kelly, Tonto, Juan, Hayley and others need to meet my other "life mates, because they are joining the fold and it's very nice. I guess I will serve my time (as tough as it sometimes) with my new friends, I can only vacation in America, I have a journey to complete here for now.

I do need to teach my house keeper how to make my bed before this "Adventure" returns to the States. Every Thursday, he comes and spends three hours scrubbing my apartment and removing the sand from my balcony. He puts my freshly laundered sheets on my bed, and makes it inside out. somehow he feels that the blanket goes under the sheets, so every Thursday when I get home from work, the first thing that I must do is remake my bed. I know, a boring little tale, but I have been telling it to Fred every week, and he has grown tired of this trivial never ending house keeper saga...so as a favor to him, I have now "blogged" about it, maybe that will serve as my need to bore others with this trivialness, and relieve Fred of the obligation to pretend to listen "about my housekeeper" challenges...lol...
There is big suprising news to come....This time next week, the suprise begins....Enjoy your week....Thank you for being one of the fifty...