JUST CALL ME "SUPERVISOR"!

Hi folks, Teddy here.

Just wanted

to let everyone know that

I have certainly

been

earning my keep lately.

Here I am keeping a watchful eye on the new grills,

while not stepping on

the grass.

Would you believe a sign is now posted

warning against letting

us dogs

walk on the grass. 

It seems we carry diseases.

W.H.A.T.E.V.E.R.!!

When I head out the front door of our building, 

 I must

diligently watch over

 the placement of the new barbeque grills.

They were brought in several weeks ago

but I'm supposed

to watch

and let everyone know

when they are ready to use! 

Hmm, hmmm, hmmmmm!

I can smell

those burgers grilling

already!!

It shouldn't be long now!!

And then

when I go out our back door

I must watch over

the construction of the new mosque.

I must say, it is coming along beautifully!

And then last, but certainly not least,

I must watch over

the new

flowers

that were planted

right beside our Palm Trees.

As you can see,

I've been keeping really, really busy!

It's a hard job,

but somebody has to do it.

And that someone

IS ME!!

Yup, you can call me

"SUPERVISOR".

I AM ADDICTED!

I am, admitedly, a bonafide addict!  Nope, it isn't alcohol or cigarettes, sheesha or drugs (thank goodness!), that is the culprit......it is Photoshop!

After being introduced to it at Ayesha's two day seminar earlier this year, then getting together every week with other Photoshop addicts (you know who you are), I'm beginning to get the hang of it!

At first my projects were simply aimed at getting familiar with working with layers.  I'll not bore you with posting any of those!

Now I've finally progressed to "copying" some artwork that I've seen hanging at Gallery One, my all time favorite store in Dubai!  When I saw their sand and texture pictures I thought to myself, "I should be able to do that!"  And I did!  Though I can't exactly take credit for the design (darn it!), the photos are mine.  And I put them all together in Photoshop!   WOOHOO!  Baby steps people, baby steps!

Next on my Photoshop wish list of things I want to be able to do.....I want to create a photo montage that resembles a piece of art (just like Ayesha does!).  Ayesha is an artist and when I grow up I want to be just like her!!!!

I may be making slow as a snail progress on Photoshop.... 
but progress is progress!

  I AM SOOOOOOO ADDICTED!

MEYDAN'S AMAZING RACE!

And here we thought we were going

to Meydan

for an American Women's Association (AWA)

night at the horse races! 

We had a suite, a wonderful buffet style dinner,

and unlimited drinks (yes, the adult kind!). 

Top all of that off

with a great group of men and women

and it made for

a fabulous evening!

Some donned hats,

others donned traditional dress...

but EVERYONE was enamored

with the spectacular

MEYDAN!

Look closely at this picture....what do you see?

It's what made the evening 

EXPLODE off the charts

of "Memorable Moments in Dubai".

 (Look again!  Look again!) 

Would you believe that

The Amazing Race (Australian)

was being filmed right there at Meydan,

before our very eyes! 

We saw two teams

 (Ladies in Pink) & (Two Really, Really Nice Young Men)

run into Meydan

where they sat in the grass, mingled with the locals,

watched a couple of races, received their next clue

....and ran off again!

I actually walked up to them

and asked if the rumor

 that they were with The Amazing Race was true. 

 One of the Ladies in Pink replied, "No, no we aren't," 

then looked away. 

(She didn't dare look me in the eye and lie!) 

Then one of the Two Really, Really Nice Young Men,

behind the (lying) Lady in Pink,

smiled and winked several times! 

BINGO!!

 

John and I made like

the groupies we are (we LOVE The Amazing Race!)

and stood around taking pictures

of the host;

The Amazing Race banner and contestants' backpacks;

one of the show's producers

standing nonchalantly

with the next clue

(OMG!);

the same producer

being filmed

holding the next clue;

and then,

last but not least,

we saw Team Pink....

.....getting ready to....

.....receive

their next

Amazing Race clue!!!!

Then off they ran!*!

What an AMAZING RACE night it was! 

We never dreamed that we'd be watching

MEYDAN'S AMAZING RACE!! 

HOW AWESOME IS THAT?

WE ATE A THANKSGIVING HOTDOG AND LISTENED TO MICHAEL BOLTON!

John and I planned a non-traditional Thanksgiving this year!  Since our family was gathering in the states (thanks Mike and Patte for feeding our boys!), enjoying turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes and gravy, (OMGoodness, I'm getting hungry just thinking about it!) we decided to go with a totally different kind of Thanksgiving.

We purchased tickets to go listen to the delightful Michael Bolton sing at Madinat Jumeirah.  We planned to enjoy a nice dinner before the concert at one of the many wonderful restaurants there.  We would sit outside and soak up the fantastic evening breeze, while savoring the exquisite tastes of a delicious meal (that we didn't have to cook!).....

NOT!  Let's just say I kinda screwed things up!  John worked all day and I didn't.  After an AWAM Gals coffee at The Talk, I leisurely strolled home and pulled out what I thought were the tickets for Michael.  I about died when I read, "You can pick up your tickets at the Virgin store in Mall of the Emirates."  Oh noooooooooo!

I emailed John to see if he could pick the tickets up on his way home from work.  He did, but as always on a Thursday night in Dubai, the mall was crazy busy.  And the roads around the mall were choc-full of cars trying to get to the mall!  Needless to say, it took a tad longer than was planned!

We arrived at Madinat Jumeirah only to find out that the concert was being held at the Arena.  Arena?  Who ever heard of an Arena at Madinat Jumeriah?  We walked and asked and walk and asked....finally found the Arena outside the lobby of the Mina A' Salam hotel!  Who knew?

When I booked the tickets I chose Gold Standing.....not realizing that Gold Standing really and truly meant we'd be STANDING!  Oh noooooo!!!

So we grabbed our spot to stand, then looked around at what was being offered food-wise.  WHAT?  No turkey?  Not even a turkey schwarma?  We settled on a good 'ol American all beef hotdog (for me) and a chicken schwarma (for John).  Throw in a diet coke for me and a Fosters for John and that's what we ate for our Thanksgiving dinner!  Truly memorable!

We quickly forgot about our lackluster Thanksgiving meal when Michael walked on stage.  For the next hour and a half we were rocking to his music!  (I have videos, however, they are not wanting to load.)

After Michael's concert ended, John and I walked away feeling pretty awesome!  After all, how many people can say they have have ever gotten up from a Thanksgiving meal without unsnapping their pants and feeling quite miserable?

It was great.  It was wonderful.  But guess what is currently thawing in our kitchen sink?

Oh yea, baby!  That little guy is going to be roasting in our miniature-size oven in just a few hours!  I've got my stretchy shorts on and I'm ready to dig in!

O.H.I.O....ALL GOOD THINGS MUST COME TO AN END

11.20.11

TODAY is the last day of

O.H.I.O.

in Dubai.

Up and at 'em early,

drinking coffee on the balcony
(for the last time boo hoo),

packing bags,

and watching the judge in

O.H.I.O

clipping articles (he finds them very funny!)
from the Gulf News

for
the very last
morning in Dubai.

Then off to run those last minute errands....

making final purchases

and keeping their fingers crossed

that everything
will somehow fit in the

 over-sized luggage (can you spell OVER-SIZED?)

they came with!

Ate their last
lunch
on a dhow called Aprons & Hammers.

Then off to the Palm

to look

at some purses

and to drive onto one of the Fronds!

(Thanks Andrea!)

Home

to pack some more

and then off to

Madinat Jumeirah for some

last minute

shopping

and

browsing

and

photographing!

O.H.I.O

was surprised and delighted

when they

spotted

an unassuming young woman

wearing

a Cincinnati Reds

baseball cap.

(yes, as in Cincinnati O.H.I.O.)

John breathed

a sigh of relief that a substitute

had been found
and therefore, he could
hold on tightly to his Hoosier roots!

She made a perfect H

for O.H.I.O.!!

(The young lady moved to Abu Dhabi from Cincinnati

and teaches kindergarten there! 

She LOVES living in the UAE

but was thrilled

to run into a couple of fellow O.H.I.O.ians!)

Home again to change into

the unthinkable --

long pants and long sleeves (OMG!),

prepared to greet the cold weather

that they will face when they

arrive home to

O.H.I.O!

When we dropped O.H.I.O.
off at the airport

I decided
that

I really don't like the phrase,

"All good things must come to an end."

But at least we have hundreds
(and I mean HUNDREDS)
of photos
documenting
O.H.I.O. in Dubai!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

EVERYONE!*!

O.H.I.O. IN OMAN!

11.19.11

O.H.I.O.

got up at the crack of dawn,

stopped for a

steaming cup of java,

drove two hours til they crossed the border

into Oman.

Why?

So they could jump on an old dhow

and cruise through the

Gulf of Oman,
 that's why!

They swam, they snorkeled, and they made

O.H.I.O. proud.
(With the help of a new friend from Poland!)
Thanks, Leszek!

Even John joined in (bless his heart!) and forgot his

Hoosier heritage for a moment

and became

the

H

in O.H.I.O.,

 just for prosperity's sake!

The setting was
magical
for a ride in an old dhow along the
beautiful
Al Hajar Mountains
in the
Gulf of Oman.

They swam.....

they fished......

Someone (Me! Me!) was successful....
but, sorry, 
not O.H.I.O.!!)

....and they enjoyed a delicious
barbeque.....

...while watching an absolutely
BEAUTIFUL
sunset
over
the water!

As they came
to the end of their cruise,
with the shoreline and the mosque within view......



O.H.I.O. agreed
that it had, indeed, been a
memorable day
on the
water!!!