Eid Al-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan. It was nice driving around during Ramadan, as the traffic was almost non-existent, however not being able to eat or drink in public while it is still daylight was not fun. Not even in your own automobile. The temps during this time of year is 120F plus and 80% humidity in the shade. It tends to keep you at home or in a place where you can eat and drink. The only restaurants that are open are a few in the main Hotels and they are very expensive. Shops have unusual opening times. I had a doctor's appointment at 10:50 PM. However, they had an opening at 8 PM, so I took that one. Also, during Ramadan women have to have their knees and shoulders covered, and NO tight fitting clothing. Women have been arrested for violating these rules in past years, although I did not hear of any arrests this year.
The good thing about Eid is that we get a week off! Yeah! That's why we are on holiday in Phuket, Thailand.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Friday, August 20, 2010
Thursday, August 19, 2010
The following was written by Jim
I am guilty of committing one of the internet crimes I dislike. I forwarded the previous eMail without confirming that the information presented as "facts" were indeed true.
A number of the items skate the thin edge of fact, depending on how they are interpreted.
Suffice to say that I am concerned that our government continues to feel that taxing those who are productive, to enable the unproductive to survive, is justifiable. I didn't learn that growing up in my house.
I'm concerned that I work hard, in places that do not fit the classic "Ozzie and Harriet" locale, in order to provide honestly earned money to feed and house my family and give them a quality education, and medical care. I do not do this to provide these benefits to others who refuse to put out the effort on their own. I resent a government that forces me to do so, or I will be deemed a criminal and the money taken from me by force and possibly put in jail.
About 60% of what I earn goes away in the form of income taxes, social security, Medicare, property tax, excise tax, sales tax, etc. Now, 40% of what I earn on investments will disappear as Capital Gains tax. 3% of the sales price of my house will fuel the new medical insurance system. In Russia, they call it "The death from a thousand cuts"
I recall a conversation we had with a bus driver while we were on vacation in the Bahamas. He was asked, "Do you have a welfare system here in the Bahamas?". He replied, "Yes, we have a very good one....if you do not work, you do not eat!"
The problem with socialism is that eventually, you run out of other people's money.
When you vote in November, please vote for a candidate that rewards productivity and efficiency and pledges to reduce the size of the government and inefficiency..if you can find one. Lacking that, vote for anyone except for the incumbent, vote for someone with experience running a business, preferably a small businessman. Lacking that, vote for women. Lacking that, vote for an Independent. Lacking that, vote for a Republican. But vote. Otherwise the parasites living off of productive people will vote to continue to do so...and to do more of it.
Jim
Here is a reply from one of Jim’s cousins:
Loved your email about taxes.
My only addition is that socialism and welfare are also unbiblical. principles. God expects us to take care of each other - yes, but as individuals interacting with individuals. Individual to individual responsibility means that I have to make decisions about how or whether I will care for my neighbor. And feel guilty when I don't want to. And determine what is the best way to look out for those around me.
Equality of wealth is not a biblical principle either. God determines who has enough and who does not. And it is not the government's place to change that. What we have now is a government that believes it is God and that it can solves the world's problems. And that creates a society that expects our government to be God and behave like one.
The current worldview expects everything from its government and nothing from itself!
A philosophy professor I know wrote an amazing paper on this very issue. This email is a paraphase of his perspective - although I believe it wholeheartedly. I'll see if I still have the paper somewhere....
Margaret Eby
Please go out and VOTE in November!! That is the only way to let our Congressmen know what we want.
I am guilty of committing one of the internet crimes I dislike. I forwarded the previous eMail without confirming that the information presented as "facts" were indeed true.
A number of the items skate the thin edge of fact, depending on how they are interpreted.
Suffice to say that I am concerned that our government continues to feel that taxing those who are productive, to enable the unproductive to survive, is justifiable. I didn't learn that growing up in my house.
I'm concerned that I work hard, in places that do not fit the classic "Ozzie and Harriet" locale, in order to provide honestly earned money to feed and house my family and give them a quality education, and medical care. I do not do this to provide these benefits to others who refuse to put out the effort on their own. I resent a government that forces me to do so, or I will be deemed a criminal and the money taken from me by force and possibly put in jail.
About 60% of what I earn goes away in the form of income taxes, social security, Medicare, property tax, excise tax, sales tax, etc. Now, 40% of what I earn on investments will disappear as Capital Gains tax. 3% of the sales price of my house will fuel the new medical insurance system. In Russia, they call it "The death from a thousand cuts"
I recall a conversation we had with a bus driver while we were on vacation in the Bahamas. He was asked, "Do you have a welfare system here in the Bahamas?". He replied, "Yes, we have a very good one....if you do not work, you do not eat!"
The problem with socialism is that eventually, you run out of other people's money.
When you vote in November, please vote for a candidate that rewards productivity and efficiency and pledges to reduce the size of the government and inefficiency..if you can find one. Lacking that, vote for anyone except for the incumbent, vote for someone with experience running a business, preferably a small businessman. Lacking that, vote for women. Lacking that, vote for an Independent. Lacking that, vote for a Republican. But vote. Otherwise the parasites living off of productive people will vote to continue to do so...and to do more of it.
Jim
Here is a reply from one of Jim’s cousins:
Loved your email about taxes.
My only addition is that socialism and welfare are also unbiblical. principles. God expects us to take care of each other - yes, but as individuals interacting with individuals. Individual to individual responsibility means that I have to make decisions about how or whether I will care for my neighbor. And feel guilty when I don't want to. And determine what is the best way to look out for those around me.
Equality of wealth is not a biblical principle either. God determines who has enough and who does not. And it is not the government's place to change that. What we have now is a government that believes it is God and that it can solves the world's problems. And that creates a society that expects our government to be God and behave like one.
The current worldview expects everything from its government and nothing from itself!
A philosophy professor I know wrote an amazing paper on this very issue. This email is a paraphase of his perspective - although I believe it wholeheartedly. I'll see if I still have the paper somewhere....
Margaret Eby
Please go out and VOTE in November!! That is the only way to let our Congressmen know what we want.
Friday, August 13, 2010
A Famous Quote
I think that this perfectly describes what voters need to think about before they go to vote in November!
"You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.
You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.
You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down.
You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.
You cannot build character and courage by taking away people's
initiative and independence.
You cannot help people permanently by doing for them,
what they could and should do for themselves."
Abraham Lincoln
"You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.
You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.
You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down.
You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.
You cannot build character and courage by taking away people's
initiative and independence.
You cannot help people permanently by doing for them,
what they could and should do for themselves."
Abraham Lincoln
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Poppy
Poppy is a Cat that I rescued from the Vets office. She's been in their hands since the end of April 2010. The owner moved to Kuwait and told the vets office to euthanize her. Fortunately, one of the office workers has taken good care of her most of the time since the owners left Qatar. She is very sweet and loves to sit in our laps.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Jim and I did our round in the USA in June & July. Jim flew into Washington, DC and I into Houston in early June. I met Jim in Washington DC and we spent a lovely week in Williamsburg, VA. Then, we went to Minnesota to visit my brother, John and family. They had a nice celebration for their youngest son, Clayton who just graduated from high school. My mom flew from New Orleans to Minnesota for the celebration also. We continued on our way to Texas and visited doctors, dentists, friends & relatives. The boys are doing just fine. Mike continues to work for Denim Group in San Antonio. Craig is working this summer as a server at a retirement home in San Antonio. (Hopefully saving money for his trip to The Netherlands for New Years.) Craig will continue on with his studies at Trinity at the end of this month. He is changing his major to English! Finally!
At the end of June, Jim and I went back to Washington, DC for Jim to receive a Citation for Service Award for sharing of his knowledge and expertise in artificial lift (Gas Lift) and dedication to the American Petroleum Institute (API). A lot of hours were spent organizing different events for API. It was a very nice luncheon and award ceremony. We had the pleasure to meet the President of API and there was another Shell person there whom was also receiving an award.
July 1st, Jim flew back to Doha, and I flew back to TX. I went to Louisiana to visit my family and friends. I also went to San Antonio, TX and visited the boys again, and more family and friends. I returned back to Doha the end of July. It is very HOT and Humid.
I get up very early in the morning (5-6 AM) to get in 2 hours in the garden before it gets really HOT. It's 100F and 99.9% humidity at 5 AM! The highs are around 120-140F with 99.9% humidity. It's just like stepping out into a steam bath. But the nice thing about this place, is that we know that the weather will begin to start cooling very slowly starting in Sept. By November it will be back in the mid 70s to low 80s. It will be nice until about mid May. It's pretty much a trade off.
I will post a few photos from the summer.
At the end of June, Jim and I went back to Washington, DC for Jim to receive a Citation for Service Award for sharing of his knowledge and expertise in artificial lift (Gas Lift) and dedication to the American Petroleum Institute (API). A lot of hours were spent organizing different events for API. It was a very nice luncheon and award ceremony. We had the pleasure to meet the President of API and there was another Shell person there whom was also receiving an award.
July 1st, Jim flew back to Doha, and I flew back to TX. I went to Louisiana to visit my family and friends. I also went to San Antonio, TX and visited the boys again, and more family and friends. I returned back to Doha the end of July. It is very HOT and Humid.
I get up very early in the morning (5-6 AM) to get in 2 hours in the garden before it gets really HOT. It's 100F and 99.9% humidity at 5 AM! The highs are around 120-140F with 99.9% humidity. It's just like stepping out into a steam bath. But the nice thing about this place, is that we know that the weather will begin to start cooling very slowly starting in Sept. By November it will be back in the mid 70s to low 80s. It will be nice until about mid May. It's pretty much a trade off.
I will post a few photos from the summer.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Baby, the cat
The pregnant cat had her babies last Thursday. She had four baby kittens. I went to see them when they were 4 days old. They are so cute! Baby is a very good mom, and the people at the Cat Farm are taking very good care of her.
It's been a very busy week for me. Yoga class on Monday and Thursday mornings. Tuesday Ladies Group meets at the Ramada Hotel and they always have nice speakers. This past Tuesday was an expat artist. It was an interesting talk about her art. I met some new people, which most of them live in our compound and I had never seen them before.
I don't remember how often or if I have spoken about the Land Cruisers on the road here, but they think that they own it! They would never bump my bumper in traffic because I have a trailer hitch (which I have no intention of using!) that sticks about a foot on the back of the truck. If they bumped into it, it would damage their SUV and it would be their fault. For the most part, they respect me on the road because my vehicle is bigger than theirs. They don't stay in their lanes and they do not obey the traffic laws, unless their is a traffic camera around. The following is something I found on one of the expat sites. The stuff in parenthesis are my comments! I think it is hilarious!
Arabian Automotive Association: Rules of the Road
Ten Top Tips for driving in the Gulf.
1. Keep to your lane! (ha, ha, they never do that!)
Land Cruisers, BMWs and Mercedes may use the fast lane.
All other cars should keep to the middle or ‘slow’ lanes.
2. On entering a round-about, remember God (Allah) preserves the Pure in Heart.
Just drive straight in and He will protect you. (Allah would have to protect them because what other imbecile would protect these idiots!)
3. The right lane of a round-about is reserved for taxis to drop off passengers. (Taxi's are maniac drivers.)
4. Double parking on a round-about is only permitted if vendors are selling National Flags or watermelons. (ha, ha this is true.)
5. Take the right hand lane if you are turning left, and vice versa. (That way it keeps the roundabouts unpredictable!)
6. If ‘other’ types of car use the fast lane, flash your headlights and they will get out of the way. (They do this, but it does not always get them what they want.)
Failing this, a gentle nudge to the bumper will do the trick. (ha, ha, it doesn't work when I am involved.)
7. Red traffic lights mean Stop! Green means Go!
* [Land Cruisers and pickups are exempt from this rule.]
8. Always stay back at least ten inches from the car in front of you.
* [Land Cruisers and pickups are exempt from this rule.] (I love it when they tail a "Gas Vehicle" filled with propane tanks. Brilliant!)
9. Children sitting on the driver’s lap need not use a safety belt. (Actually, none of the kids are taught to wear seat belts. However, they will put those little dumb signs in the back of their vehicle that says "Caution: Children Aboard". LOL!!)
10. Use your horn frequently to signal “Have a Nice Day, Brothers!” (The more traffic, the more horns you hear.)
I am so glad that it is the Weekend!
Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there on Sunday!
It's been a very busy week for me. Yoga class on Monday and Thursday mornings. Tuesday Ladies Group meets at the Ramada Hotel and they always have nice speakers. This past Tuesday was an expat artist. It was an interesting talk about her art. I met some new people, which most of them live in our compound and I had never seen them before.
I don't remember how often or if I have spoken about the Land Cruisers on the road here, but they think that they own it! They would never bump my bumper in traffic because I have a trailer hitch (which I have no intention of using!) that sticks about a foot on the back of the truck. If they bumped into it, it would damage their SUV and it would be their fault. For the most part, they respect me on the road because my vehicle is bigger than theirs. They don't stay in their lanes and they do not obey the traffic laws, unless their is a traffic camera around. The following is something I found on one of the expat sites. The stuff in parenthesis are my comments! I think it is hilarious!
Arabian Automotive Association: Rules of the Road
Ten Top Tips for driving in the Gulf.
1. Keep to your lane! (ha, ha, they never do that!)
Land Cruisers, BMWs and Mercedes may use the fast lane.
All other cars should keep to the middle or ‘slow’ lanes.
2. On entering a round-about, remember God (Allah) preserves the Pure in Heart.
Just drive straight in and He will protect you. (Allah would have to protect them because what other imbecile would protect these idiots!)
3. The right lane of a round-about is reserved for taxis to drop off passengers. (Taxi's are maniac drivers.)
4. Double parking on a round-about is only permitted if vendors are selling National Flags or watermelons. (ha, ha this is true.)
5. Take the right hand lane if you are turning left, and vice versa. (That way it keeps the roundabouts unpredictable!)
6. If ‘other’ types of car use the fast lane, flash your headlights and they will get out of the way. (They do this, but it does not always get them what they want.)
Failing this, a gentle nudge to the bumper will do the trick. (ha, ha, it doesn't work when I am involved.)
7. Red traffic lights mean Stop! Green means Go!
* [Land Cruisers and pickups are exempt from this rule.]
8. Always stay back at least ten inches from the car in front of you.
* [Land Cruisers and pickups are exempt from this rule.] (I love it when they tail a "Gas Vehicle" filled with propane tanks. Brilliant!)
9. Children sitting on the driver’s lap need not use a safety belt. (Actually, none of the kids are taught to wear seat belts. However, they will put those little dumb signs in the back of their vehicle that says "Caution: Children Aboard". LOL!!)
10. Use your horn frequently to signal “Have a Nice Day, Brothers!” (The more traffic, the more horns you hear.)
I am so glad that it is the Weekend!
Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there on Sunday!
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
A Pregnant Cat
There was recently a pregnant cat that was hanging around our compound, and of course her and I became friends. I must have CAT and DOG stamped on my forehead, because they just know that I am a sucker for a sad face.
I felt sorry for this cat, as every morning when I walked outside she would be sitting under my truck and would exit and of course was a bit verbal. Meow...Meow.
I thought OK, she is pregnant and needs some good nutrition. I know that she came from the construction site, which is just over the exterior wall of the compound. She is not even a year old and already going to be a mama soon. So, I start feeding her and petting her everyday. She just really wants MY attention. She purrs at just the sight of me. She will follow me where ever I go. She walks just to the right side of me. She is so smart, no training involved! I put the dog kennel outside with some soft cloths in it, just in case her time comes to have these kittens. I have no idea how far along she is in this pregnancy. I want to completely gain her trust and trap her in the dog kennel. She is so young and foolish. She will go and sleep in the kennel during the day! I am astounded by this. So, finally I pick the night that I am going to trap her and of course, she is no where to be found. I start to worry that she has had the kittens in the construction site. I put on my usual flip-flops and that sound always brings her to me. She of course, shows up. I had Jim put her wet cat food in the very back of the kennel, so that she has to go all the way in to get the food. I close the cage and bring her in for the night. I don't want anyone letting her go, as this would be my only chance to get her to where she needs to go.
The next morning I take her to the Municipality. They take the cage out of my truck and have it just outside of the surgery room and the vet comes out to talk to me. This worker walks up (without asking any questions) and opens the cage! She darts away and hides under a hood of a car. I ask them "Now what are you going to do?" The doctor says, "No problem, Madam. We will catch her." I laugh and walk back inside and get the dog kennel. Moments later the guy walks across the parking lot holding her! I was shocked. He puts her back in the cage. We walk inside so that the Vet can draw a map with instructions to get to the "cat garden". I will include a photo of the map. It is such a typical map. I have plenty of them in my truck. You get a lot of directions like "it's close to the petrol station, which is close to TV roundabout and next to the Burger King that used to be there." And they think that is going to help me? The vet says that she will deliver her kittens in 1-2 weeks. So, I drive her across town to the Cat Garden and they take her inside a small room and try to get her into a smaller cage. They do this even after I explain what has already happen that morning. Needlessly to say, she runs into a corner under a cabinet. So, they are all standing around with their plastic gloves on, not quite knowing what to do. At this point, I am thinking that this is really kind of funny, but not really. They finally get her into a cage and give her some water. I explain to them that she is probably very hungry because she has not eaten since the night before, and it is now almost Noon. That happened about a week ago. I want to go back and see her after she has the kittens. I hope to have time tomorrow.
Explanation:
H.P. is Hyatt Plaza, which is a shopping center
T.S. is traffic signal
A. G. Khazan R/A is the AG Khazan Roundabout, which is the circle below it.
UT is U-turn
The two parallel lines are speed bumps, actually there are three, the third is where I am suppose to turn.
Just to the side of that it says "orange & white wall"
It gives the name and phone number of the person to contact in case that I can't find the place.
Once I drive into the gate there is a huge house and a beautifully landscaped garden. I think, OK this is the right place.....but where to I go from here? I go up to the front door of this mansion. There are many switches, but none are marked as "Bell". I knock at the door, no one answers. I get back in my truck and drive around the hose, and finally find a real person and she directs me. The rest of the story is above.
This is a real blessing for me to know about this place, because QAWS is completely full at this time and would not take a pregnant cat anyway. These people will be a safe place for her to have the kittens and for her to nurture them for 2 months, and then all of them will be neutered! After that time they will be taken to a "Cat & Dog" retirement village, which is enclosed, outside of Doha. It is a safe haven for street animals.
I felt sorry for this cat, as every morning when I walked outside she would be sitting under my truck and would exit and of course was a bit verbal. Meow...Meow.
I thought OK, she is pregnant and needs some good nutrition. I know that she came from the construction site, which is just over the exterior wall of the compound. She is not even a year old and already going to be a mama soon. So, I start feeding her and petting her everyday. She just really wants MY attention. She purrs at just the sight of me. She will follow me where ever I go. She walks just to the right side of me. She is so smart, no training involved! I put the dog kennel outside with some soft cloths in it, just in case her time comes to have these kittens. I have no idea how far along she is in this pregnancy. I want to completely gain her trust and trap her in the dog kennel. She is so young and foolish. She will go and sleep in the kennel during the day! I am astounded by this. So, finally I pick the night that I am going to trap her and of course, she is no where to be found. I start to worry that she has had the kittens in the construction site. I put on my usual flip-flops and that sound always brings her to me. She of course, shows up. I had Jim put her wet cat food in the very back of the kennel, so that she has to go all the way in to get the food. I close the cage and bring her in for the night. I don't want anyone letting her go, as this would be my only chance to get her to where she needs to go.
The next morning I take her to the Municipality. They take the cage out of my truck and have it just outside of the surgery room and the vet comes out to talk to me. This worker walks up (without asking any questions) and opens the cage! She darts away and hides under a hood of a car. I ask them "Now what are you going to do?" The doctor says, "No problem, Madam. We will catch her." I laugh and walk back inside and get the dog kennel. Moments later the guy walks across the parking lot holding her! I was shocked. He puts her back in the cage. We walk inside so that the Vet can draw a map with instructions to get to the "cat garden". I will include a photo of the map. It is such a typical map. I have plenty of them in my truck. You get a lot of directions like "it's close to the petrol station, which is close to TV roundabout and next to the Burger King that used to be there." And they think that is going to help me? The vet says that she will deliver her kittens in 1-2 weeks. So, I drive her across town to the Cat Garden and they take her inside a small room and try to get her into a smaller cage. They do this even after I explain what has already happen that morning. Needlessly to say, she runs into a corner under a cabinet. So, they are all standing around with their plastic gloves on, not quite knowing what to do. At this point, I am thinking that this is really kind of funny, but not really. They finally get her into a cage and give her some water. I explain to them that she is probably very hungry because she has not eaten since the night before, and it is now almost Noon. That happened about a week ago. I want to go back and see her after she has the kittens. I hope to have time tomorrow.
Explanation:
H.P. is Hyatt Plaza, which is a shopping center
T.S. is traffic signal
A. G. Khazan R/A is the AG Khazan Roundabout, which is the circle below it.
UT is U-turn
The two parallel lines are speed bumps, actually there are three, the third is where I am suppose to turn.
Just to the side of that it says "orange & white wall"
It gives the name and phone number of the person to contact in case that I can't find the place.
Once I drive into the gate there is a huge house and a beautifully landscaped garden. I think, OK this is the right place.....but where to I go from here? I go up to the front door of this mansion. There are many switches, but none are marked as "Bell". I knock at the door, no one answers. I get back in my truck and drive around the hose, and finally find a real person and she directs me. The rest of the story is above.
This is a real blessing for me to know about this place, because QAWS is completely full at this time and would not take a pregnant cat anyway. These people will be a safe place for her to have the kittens and for her to nurture them for 2 months, and then all of them will be neutered! After that time they will be taken to a "Cat & Dog" retirement village, which is enclosed, outside of Doha. It is a safe haven for street animals.
Cause of Earthquakes?
Did you ever wonder what actually causes earthquakes? This was an article that Jim found in the local paper. As Ron White says, "You can't fix stupid"!
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Monday, April 12, 2010
It's a Busy Life
I can hardly believe that much time has past since my last post, however, I have been very busy.
I went to Holland the end of March for an Open House on our Marian Gobiushof House. I had a chance to have the house cleaned and clean up the yard a bit. Lots of stuff needed trimming. Unfortunately, there was only one couple that looked at the house. We are now offering the house for Sale or Lease. The market seems to be picking up now that the weather is getting nicer. Europe had a pretty cold winter this year, and that slowed the market down a lot, in addition to the current economic condition of the entire world!
My trip going to Holland was pretty uneventful; however, coming home was a nightmare that I hope I never have to repeat again. My 9:30 AM KLM flight leaving Amsterdam was 45 minutes late leaving, and arrived 30 minutes late into Munich. Therefore, I missed my connection on Qatar Airways by about 2 minutes. The plane was still parked at the gate, but they would not let me on the flight because I did not get to the gate 20 minutes before departure. Very frustrating! I went over to the ticket office to rebook on the next flight only to find out that the next flight was not leaving until the next day at 4:30 PM. The ticket agent not exactly wanted to be helpful, so I had to think through this myself. I asked when the next flight was leaving Frankfurt. She looked and said that there was a flight leaving at 11:00PM that night. It is now 12:45 PM. How much would it cost to get me on a flight to Frankfurt? She said about 400 Euros. Ok, so where is the closest train ticket agent. She directed me to the train ticket agent, which was about 100 meters away. There was an ICE train leaving Munich's main station at 1:55 PM. The underground train takes 45 minutes to get to the main station. Ok, that was no problem. Fortunately, I have spent a good amount of time in the past on the underground system in Munich with all of my trips to the Back Surgeon, Dr. Zeegers. This was the first time that I had flown into Munich and was NOT going to see Dr. Zeegers. Basically, I had only a few minutes to rebook my airline ticket and get downstairs to the underground, and once I got to the main station, I had about 10 minutes to make the transition. When I get on the underground and start shuffling through all the papers that both agents had given me, I realize that the Qatar Airways agent did not give me back my bag tag or my Bank Pin card. I was not too worried about that because you have to have the pin to use it, however, my bag tag was a problem. I was sure that I could get that sorted out when I got to Frankfurt. When the underground arrived at the Main station, I grabbed a sandwich for lunch and a drink and got on the train. I bought a 1st class ticket, so I knew getting a good seat would be no problem. The train has T-Mobile HotSpot internet, but I could not connect to it because so many people were already connected. I had to notify Jim that I was not going to be arriving in Doha until the next day. I sent him a text message from my phone and hoped that he received it. Four and a half hours later when I arrived in Frankfurt the Qatar Air counter was closed because they are not there until 3 hours before the flight. I got connected to the T-Mobile HotSpot and sent Jim some instant messages via gmail hoping that he would get those messages as well. Jim finally called and I explained what happened and what flight I would be arriving on the next day. I was the first person in line when the counter opened. I explained the situation to the agent and his English was not the greatest, so he called his manager over to help me. The manager says that he received a fax from the Munich office saying that I "forgot" my credit card at the counter in Munich. There was probably steam coming off the top of my head by then. I said,” Excuse me?" “Your agent did not give me back my credit card or my bag tag. I am pretty sure that would be her responsibility!” He shuffled around awhile trying to figure out how he was going to fix this problem. The manager said that since things were such a mess that he would bump me up to Business class, which was good. I don't normally fly economy, but this was a daytime flight and only 6 hours. By this time my stress level and anxiety level were through the roof. I have anxiety when I have to spend a lot of time in airports under normal circumstances. This was my third airport in one day! I could not really take any Xanax before I boarded the flight, as I was afraid of not getting to the gate on time. Once I was on the plane, an agent came on and gave me the number on my bag tag, which she had traced through KLM. Ok, so eventually I would get my bag.... well, maybe. There was a really smelly man sitting next to me and two empty seats across the isle from me, so I moved as far from him as I could get. I took some Xanax and a muscle relaxant. They came by and took my order for dinner and I told the Stewart that if I was not awake when dinner was ready to NOT wake me up. As soon as I could recline my seat, I went to sleep. I arrived in Doha the next morning at 6 AM, March 30th. Jim had paid for the Meet & Greet service. There is an agent that is waiting for you when you get off the plane and she takes you to a lounge while she takes your bag tag and passport and gets everything processed and then comes back and gets you. We usually do this so that we do not have to wait in the passport line. She went with me to report my lost luggage, because of course it was not there. Jim drives me home and goes to work.
My luggage arrived that night and was almost just as much a nightmare as the episode was the day before. The flight arrived at 10:30 PM and I was at the airport when the flight arrived. I return home about 3 AM....with my luggage.
With all the stress from that trip, my Fibromyalgia has kicked in vigorously. Every muscle in my body was tight and painful. Thankfully, Yoga does help with that over time. However, two days later I start with cold symptoms and it progressively get worse, so I self medicated with antibiotics and now I am all better.
I'm back to teaching 90-minute Yoga lessons twice a week and going to a 3-hour Bible Study each week. I also fit in mosaics when I have time. I tend to my garden daily.
Sadie, the dog that we adopted for a brief period, we have now re-homed. I could not give her enough exercise a day. She was very active and would run around the yard like a crazy dog, just to get her run in for the morning. It got to the point where she needed to do this 3-4 times a day. She is living with a nice Indian couple that has more room for her to roam. A compound is not a place for a very active dog.
I went to Holland the end of March for an Open House on our Marian Gobiushof House. I had a chance to have the house cleaned and clean up the yard a bit. Lots of stuff needed trimming. Unfortunately, there was only one couple that looked at the house. We are now offering the house for Sale or Lease. The market seems to be picking up now that the weather is getting nicer. Europe had a pretty cold winter this year, and that slowed the market down a lot, in addition to the current economic condition of the entire world!
My trip going to Holland was pretty uneventful; however, coming home was a nightmare that I hope I never have to repeat again. My 9:30 AM KLM flight leaving Amsterdam was 45 minutes late leaving, and arrived 30 minutes late into Munich. Therefore, I missed my connection on Qatar Airways by about 2 minutes. The plane was still parked at the gate, but they would not let me on the flight because I did not get to the gate 20 minutes before departure. Very frustrating! I went over to the ticket office to rebook on the next flight only to find out that the next flight was not leaving until the next day at 4:30 PM. The ticket agent not exactly wanted to be helpful, so I had to think through this myself. I asked when the next flight was leaving Frankfurt. She looked and said that there was a flight leaving at 11:00PM that night. It is now 12:45 PM. How much would it cost to get me on a flight to Frankfurt? She said about 400 Euros. Ok, so where is the closest train ticket agent. She directed me to the train ticket agent, which was about 100 meters away. There was an ICE train leaving Munich's main station at 1:55 PM. The underground train takes 45 minutes to get to the main station. Ok, that was no problem. Fortunately, I have spent a good amount of time in the past on the underground system in Munich with all of my trips to the Back Surgeon, Dr. Zeegers. This was the first time that I had flown into Munich and was NOT going to see Dr. Zeegers. Basically, I had only a few minutes to rebook my airline ticket and get downstairs to the underground, and once I got to the main station, I had about 10 minutes to make the transition. When I get on the underground and start shuffling through all the papers that both agents had given me, I realize that the Qatar Airways agent did not give me back my bag tag or my Bank Pin card. I was not too worried about that because you have to have the pin to use it, however, my bag tag was a problem. I was sure that I could get that sorted out when I got to Frankfurt. When the underground arrived at the Main station, I grabbed a sandwich for lunch and a drink and got on the train. I bought a 1st class ticket, so I knew getting a good seat would be no problem. The train has T-Mobile HotSpot internet, but I could not connect to it because so many people were already connected. I had to notify Jim that I was not going to be arriving in Doha until the next day. I sent him a text message from my phone and hoped that he received it. Four and a half hours later when I arrived in Frankfurt the Qatar Air counter was closed because they are not there until 3 hours before the flight. I got connected to the T-Mobile HotSpot and sent Jim some instant messages via gmail hoping that he would get those messages as well. Jim finally called and I explained what happened and what flight I would be arriving on the next day. I was the first person in line when the counter opened. I explained the situation to the agent and his English was not the greatest, so he called his manager over to help me. The manager says that he received a fax from the Munich office saying that I "forgot" my credit card at the counter in Munich. There was probably steam coming off the top of my head by then. I said,” Excuse me?" “Your agent did not give me back my credit card or my bag tag. I am pretty sure that would be her responsibility!” He shuffled around awhile trying to figure out how he was going to fix this problem. The manager said that since things were such a mess that he would bump me up to Business class, which was good. I don't normally fly economy, but this was a daytime flight and only 6 hours. By this time my stress level and anxiety level were through the roof. I have anxiety when I have to spend a lot of time in airports under normal circumstances. This was my third airport in one day! I could not really take any Xanax before I boarded the flight, as I was afraid of not getting to the gate on time. Once I was on the plane, an agent came on and gave me the number on my bag tag, which she had traced through KLM. Ok, so eventually I would get my bag.... well, maybe. There was a really smelly man sitting next to me and two empty seats across the isle from me, so I moved as far from him as I could get. I took some Xanax and a muscle relaxant. They came by and took my order for dinner and I told the Stewart that if I was not awake when dinner was ready to NOT wake me up. As soon as I could recline my seat, I went to sleep. I arrived in Doha the next morning at 6 AM, March 30th. Jim had paid for the Meet & Greet service. There is an agent that is waiting for you when you get off the plane and she takes you to a lounge while she takes your bag tag and passport and gets everything processed and then comes back and gets you. We usually do this so that we do not have to wait in the passport line. She went with me to report my lost luggage, because of course it was not there. Jim drives me home and goes to work.
My luggage arrived that night and was almost just as much a nightmare as the episode was the day before. The flight arrived at 10:30 PM and I was at the airport when the flight arrived. I return home about 3 AM....with my luggage.
With all the stress from that trip, my Fibromyalgia has kicked in vigorously. Every muscle in my body was tight and painful. Thankfully, Yoga does help with that over time. However, two days later I start with cold symptoms and it progressively get worse, so I self medicated with antibiotics and now I am all better.
I'm back to teaching 90-minute Yoga lessons twice a week and going to a 3-hour Bible Study each week. I also fit in mosaics when I have time. I tend to my garden daily.
Sadie, the dog that we adopted for a brief period, we have now re-homed. I could not give her enough exercise a day. She was very active and would run around the yard like a crazy dog, just to get her run in for the morning. It got to the point where she needed to do this 3-4 times a day. She is living with a nice Indian couple that has more room for her to roam. A compound is not a place for a very active dog.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Photos of my garden
We finally got the maintenance to come and cut the grass.... and Jim installed the fountain in the front yard.
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