Please Smile for the Camera!

We have had some rain here in Dubai in the last week. Last Friday as I finished writing our blog, thunderstorms rolled into Dubai. It rained and "stormed" off and on for about 12 hours. I went out and drove around in it, silly as it sounds it seems like the thing to do when it only rains a couple of times a year. The city is beautiful with the tall buildings becoming "vivid" without the normal "sand haze" that lingers over Dubai.I posted these pictures on Facebook, so I apologize to those of you that have already seen them.

The above is actually a picture I like a lot for more than just the rain. It puts into perspective how awesome the 160 story Burj Khalifa is. On the lower right side of the photo you can see the 64 story Address hotel. It looks tiny next to the towering Burj Khalifa.
There are no storm sewers here, so after any measurable rain driving can be an adventure.  My Saturday morning drive to the office featured a couple of times that I wasn't sure my Altima wouldn't flood out as I drove through standing water.

All the rain evidence was gone by Sunday. We had a very intense downpour that popped up yesterday afternoon as I drove home from the office. It lasted 5 minutes, but in the last week I have seen more rain than I have in my first 29 months in the UAE.

I think I have shared with you in the past about the numerous traffic camera's that line the highways waiting for you to break the speed limit by 20 plus KMH's. They flash at you and you get a ticket for 600 Dirhams ($164)  emailed to you in a matter of days. The drivers of Dubai know where these camera's are placed on the roads, so a lot of people drive very fast and then slow down right before they hit the camera. Well the authorities are now more aggressively finding ways to catch you. They stand on bridges overlooking the roads below, and they use a camera/radar gun to snap a picture/ticket form random bridges. I think I may have found out the hard way about another way, as I accelerated away from my Subway breakfast spot one morning this week, I sped past a white SUV parked in the sand on the side of the road. I saw a flash through the smoked back window glass and now I am waiting to see if I was the one that they got (98% sure it's me). I was really busting it, so my ticket maybe for more than the 600 Dirhams...The good news, your insurance rates are not effected, its just a fine.
Last night I was excited to get the balance of my birthday treat from Kelly. She took me to the Dubai movie theatre to see "Argo". For those of you that don't know the movie, it's about the Iranian Hostage crisis of 1979-1980 that saw the downfall of Jimmy Carters presidency, and ushered in my favorite President Ronald Reagan. It was interesting watching the film (about the Canadians and CIA getting 6 American Embassy hostage escapees out of the country) that I recall so many details about from living through it. Kelly was born in the 80's, so hers was a totally different perspective, but we both really enjoyed the movie. It was great spending some quality time with Kelly, I miss our daily interactions from my first two years here. Kelly has her first hardware convention next week, it will be interesting to hear about the differences from the food shows we have worked together.
Speaking of working in food service, I have lost the battles with management about the scheduled working times (8 - 6, 6 days per week) and virtually no holidays off. I feel guilty about the guys I have hired on from their old 5 day a week job with generous holiday's at virtually the same pay.
It's a an archaic way of dealing with employees, and I feel powerless - work ethic is a good thing, but quality of life for your employees is as important in my judgement.
Today is Pearl Harbor Day, and please keep in mind, if you fail to learn from history, you are doomed to repeat it. It seems appropriate after watching and living through a weakening US presence in the Middle East....There is a danger to the "good guys" sitting and watching history unfold.
So, with that ominous sounding finish, we have posted another blog. I hope you enjoyed it, and God willing, I will see you here next week.