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.
Showing posts with label Vineet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vineet. Show all posts
Friday, June 3, 2011
Friday, May 20, 2011
Vinny the Pooh Pool....
Vinny the Pooh has turned out to be a great guy, and a load of fun to be around. Vineet is a young man from India that we decided to take a chance on in hiring. He didn't have the food background, nor did he have a really solid sales background....Just a really charismatic young man with a desire to succeed. He is in a long term relationship with an Emirate Airline Stewardess and is (if must say in a non homophobic way) quite fit and a good looking guy.
Now Vineet has some things that the sales team (especially Nick and I) love to have a little fun with. He is polite and respectful in a charmingly funny way. It is always yes sir and no sir, and he won't let a manager or one of his older work mates carry something heavy. One of his funny habits is that he will not drink any beverage while eating...not a sip, he explains that if you drink during eating that "you put the fire out" in your belly. He sheepishly speaks about it while Nick needles him...it's too funny. All of this Vinny chatter leads me too the "Vinny the Pooh Pool". To get a drivers license here can be a challenge. It is all based on your current license status and passport. If you are an American with a US drivers license and a US passport it's a 10 minute process to get your UAE driving license. Now Juan, who had a US license, but a Colombian passport had to take a series of classes and tests then had to pass his driving test (passed it on one try at a cost of several hundred dollars). As I have mentioned, there are serious class differentials here and one of them is the way that Ex-Pat's from India are sometimes treated. They tend to get flunked as they try and pass their UAE driver's test. Pursh, our HR Manager(one of my best friends at work) took seven tries to pass his test. Peter, our customer service manager flunked seven times and then gave up. He only travels by public transport now. So after Juan (former military pilot) passed the test on the first time, young Vineet confidently predicted the same...hence, I started the Pooh pool. For 5 Dirhams ($1.27) you can write down how many times Vineet will have to take the test to get his license. Vinny has entered (predictably he has chosen 1) I have entered (2 times is my guess) and several of our coworkers (Bob has two entries and many theories as to why Vineet will or won't pass the test). So the closest pick to the actual number without going over gets the cash( I, of course will keep you updated).
Speaking of driving, you may recall that I got a speeding ticket last fall, and how much Bob made fun of me for it, and bragged about how he was not going to get a ticket. Well guess who got a ticket? or two? Lol, right you are, Bob got one for speeding and one for an "improper lane change". Now he has no idea about the details (the tickets are delivered in Arabic via Fed Ex) but he does now own the crown for tickets between us...It is good to find things to make us laugh.
Speaking of laughing, do you remember how Nick (or Neek as he is known by some) scratched my brand new Teflon frying pan by scrambling 18 eggs in it while making the now infamous omelette's and "Kenyon" bacon...yes brand new never used pan, with deep gouges, well after I had him convicted at trial at the office (by Judge Kelly), Nick bought me a replacement pan. Now what makes this cute story funny, Shamsudine (yes Sham fans he is alive and well) saw this scratched up frying pan on my desk, and of course he had to have it. Well I gave it to him, and he gave his award winning David Letterman smile and took it. Since then, he is always asking Nick, when he is going to cook for me again hoping for more damaged cooking ware. I had two lids at the house (one from the old skillet and one from the one Nick bought me) So I asked Shams if he needed a lid, nope he has sent the pan back to Bangladesh for his family...Sometimes it takes something simple as that to help you realize your blessings.
The heat is building and Nick gives me a daily commentary about how hot it is. The forecast for the coming week calls for every day (except Wednesday @ 98 degrees) to be over 100 degrees. Humidity is creeping up also (as the sea warms the humidity increases). Hot summer time is coming...As the heat builds sales start to slow, I am so happy that Joseph returned to work yesterday from his trip to India to bring his wife and new born daughter home, Juan returns on Sunday from getting married in the US last week. Nasser is still out for another 3 weeks, and Kelly and Ceren are leaving for vacations around the first of June. I am envious of Kelly's trip back to Canada and the United States as she is going back to be a brides maid and part of her trip will be a bacherolette party in Las Vegas....10 weeks until I get to board that 14 hour flight back to the good ole USA....
Have a great week!
John
Now Vineet has some things that the sales team (especially Nick and I) love to have a little fun with. He is polite and respectful in a charmingly funny way. It is always yes sir and no sir, and he won't let a manager or one of his older work mates carry something heavy. One of his funny habits is that he will not drink any beverage while eating...not a sip, he explains that if you drink during eating that "you put the fire out" in your belly. He sheepishly speaks about it while Nick needles him...it's too funny. All of this Vinny chatter leads me too the "Vinny the Pooh Pool". To get a drivers license here can be a challenge. It is all based on your current license status and passport. If you are an American with a US drivers license and a US passport it's a 10 minute process to get your UAE driving license. Now Juan, who had a US license, but a Colombian passport had to take a series of classes and tests then had to pass his driving test (passed it on one try at a cost of several hundred dollars). As I have mentioned, there are serious class differentials here and one of them is the way that Ex-Pat's from India are sometimes treated. They tend to get flunked as they try and pass their UAE driver's test. Pursh, our HR Manager(one of my best friends at work) took seven tries to pass his test. Peter, our customer service manager flunked seven times and then gave up. He only travels by public transport now. So after Juan (former military pilot) passed the test on the first time, young Vineet confidently predicted the same...hence, I started the Pooh pool. For 5 Dirhams ($1.27) you can write down how many times Vineet will have to take the test to get his license. Vinny has entered (predictably he has chosen 1) I have entered (2 times is my guess) and several of our coworkers (Bob has two entries and many theories as to why Vineet will or won't pass the test). So the closest pick to the actual number without going over gets the cash( I, of course will keep you updated).
Speaking of driving, you may recall that I got a speeding ticket last fall, and how much Bob made fun of me for it, and bragged about how he was not going to get a ticket. Well guess who got a ticket? or two? Lol, right you are, Bob got one for speeding and one for an "improper lane change". Now he has no idea about the details (the tickets are delivered in Arabic via Fed Ex) but he does now own the crown for tickets between us...It is good to find things to make us laugh.
Speaking of laughing, do you remember how Nick (or Neek as he is known by some) scratched my brand new Teflon frying pan by scrambling 18 eggs in it while making the now infamous omelette's and "Kenyon" bacon...yes brand new never used pan, with deep gouges, well after I had him convicted at trial at the office (by Judge Kelly), Nick bought me a replacement pan. Now what makes this cute story funny, Shamsudine (yes Sham fans he is alive and well) saw this scratched up frying pan on my desk, and of course he had to have it. Well I gave it to him, and he gave his award winning David Letterman smile and took it. Since then, he is always asking Nick, when he is going to cook for me again hoping for more damaged cooking ware. I had two lids at the house (one from the old skillet and one from the one Nick bought me) So I asked Shams if he needed a lid, nope he has sent the pan back to Bangladesh for his family...Sometimes it takes something simple as that to help you realize your blessings.
The heat is building and Nick gives me a daily commentary about how hot it is. The forecast for the coming week calls for every day (except Wednesday @ 98 degrees) to be over 100 degrees. Humidity is creeping up also (as the sea warms the humidity increases). Hot summer time is coming...As the heat builds sales start to slow, I am so happy that Joseph returned to work yesterday from his trip to India to bring his wife and new born daughter home, Juan returns on Sunday from getting married in the US last week. Nasser is still out for another 3 weeks, and Kelly and Ceren are leaving for vacations around the first of June. I am envious of Kelly's trip back to Canada and the United States as she is going back to be a brides maid and part of her trip will be a bacherolette party in Las Vegas....10 weeks until I get to board that 14 hour flight back to the good ole USA....
Have a great week!
John
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