Passing the Buck
The best news of the day is that my cell phone boosting antenna is finally mounted properly. After talking to the guy who has all the bits to get it mounted a couple three times and getting no results, I went to the person sure to have the wastah to get a worker to do something on this compound - my houseboy.
I explained the problem to my houseboy. At first, he wasn't sure what was needed. So he went to my office, I explained where and how I wanted it mounted, and how the antenna should work, and what cell phone company I was using. He promised to get on it.
When I came home the next day, he was near my house and came over and explained that the job wasn't done, but that the other worker was committed to get it done, and it should be all finished tomorrow.
When I came home today, (tomorrow from then) it was done. The antenna gets me a solid two bars of signal (okay, pathetic, but not as bad as the one bar I got before). Importantly, connectivity is improved, and it spends more time at actual HSDPA speeds. So, a win all around.
As I paid Kamrul the day before, that is the day I discovered the counterfeit money, the man responsible for my banana trees showed up as I got home from work. You know, just checking up on things, and I was able to pay him as well with my new non-fake money. Turns out I was overdue, so got him paid for overdue and a month ahead. These guys are very patient with me about this stuff, probably because I usually pay them three months in advance, and the gardener gets a 50sr bonus to boot. After all, the man has banana trees growing in my high altitude desert garden.
The fake 500 riyal note has indeed been passed along. Back to the man who gave it to me. He had to make phone calls and establish accountability and finally passed it back to my manager, who happened to come up from Jeddah today. Whenever he comes up from Jeddah, we have a team lunch. Which is the reason I didn't get my rowing in today, though I did walk a couple laps around the compound.
Musical interlude:
Notorious - Duran,Duran
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRvqtYgPOK8
"No-no-notorious..."
Songs like this make me glad I was born in the time and place I was. This song was the height of cool during "New Wave", which was 1984, my freshman year of high school. Also the year "The Terminator" came out. Which happened to be on TV this morning as I had my coffee and eggs at the local diner, er, mess hall. Of course, what really makes the song isn't the tune or the lyrics, it's the woman's gasp of surprise/shock/pleasure right at the beginning.
Today's movie is more DS-9. The first episode of Season 3. It holds so much promise and also showcases what I hate in later Trek. Sisko finally has a decent haircut, and every now and then shows there's a living breathing person in there. I like Sisko, that is, I like the actor and the basic character concept, he's just been written flat for the past two seasons. His forcing Quark to kiss the Grand Nagus' staff shows a loony side that has been lurking. Oh, and the haircut helps.
What really, really, really ticked me off was the Romulan. You see, TNG so altered what Romulans and Klingons were that they became bad cartoons of their original function. The Spartan soldiers with a passion for life, and yet willing to die for their nation, are gone. Instead are these temperamental, sputtering prissies with weird growths on their forehead. What is up with that anyway? Weird foreheads worked for Klingons, now everyone has to have them. Here's hoping NuTrek gives up back old school Klingons, like the Commander (Joanne Linville) and Romulan Commander (Mark Lenard).
Star Trek "The Balance of Terror"
At the end of the duel, when the Romulan Commander destroys his ship, he gives a short farewell to Kirk that was just spine tingling when I first heard it.
This episode was instrumental in informing my attitudes toward military duty and the military life. Also, the whole Cold War echoes was very powerful way back then. Of course, the quotes are just great, "He's a sorcerer that one!"
On another note, Joanne Linville's "the Commander" always wore a scarf on her shoulder, somewhat echoing how Pakistani women will wear their scarf that way. Hmmm... Perhaps this also influenced my young mind?
Hmm... Can't find a good picture of The Commander, but this isn't bad:
http://karracaz.deviantart.com/art/Romulan-Commander-3-142784859
Anway, Romulans were cool, and turned into a bad joke by TNG, mainly because they had a bunch of namby-pamby new agey folks for writers. In a word, they sucked.
Don't get me started on Klingons. Though, if you want to see how cool they were watch TOS "The Day of the Dove". Kang is great.
One more note on Mark Lenard - the actor was so cool as Romulan Commander that they recast him later as Spock's father. Mark Lenard rocked.
I explained the problem to my houseboy. At first, he wasn't sure what was needed. So he went to my office, I explained where and how I wanted it mounted, and how the antenna should work, and what cell phone company I was using. He promised to get on it.
When I came home the next day, he was near my house and came over and explained that the job wasn't done, but that the other worker was committed to get it done, and it should be all finished tomorrow.
When I came home today, (tomorrow from then) it was done. The antenna gets me a solid two bars of signal (okay, pathetic, but not as bad as the one bar I got before). Importantly, connectivity is improved, and it spends more time at actual HSDPA speeds. So, a win all around.
As I paid Kamrul the day before, that is the day I discovered the counterfeit money, the man responsible for my banana trees showed up as I got home from work. You know, just checking up on things, and I was able to pay him as well with my new non-fake money. Turns out I was overdue, so got him paid for overdue and a month ahead. These guys are very patient with me about this stuff, probably because I usually pay them three months in advance, and the gardener gets a 50sr bonus to boot. After all, the man has banana trees growing in my high altitude desert garden.
The fake 500 riyal note has indeed been passed along. Back to the man who gave it to me. He had to make phone calls and establish accountability and finally passed it back to my manager, who happened to come up from Jeddah today. Whenever he comes up from Jeddah, we have a team lunch. Which is the reason I didn't get my rowing in today, though I did walk a couple laps around the compound.
Musical interlude:
Notorious - Duran,Duran
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRvqtYgPOK8
"No-no-notorious..."
Songs like this make me glad I was born in the time and place I was. This song was the height of cool during "New Wave", which was 1984, my freshman year of high school. Also the year "The Terminator" came out. Which happened to be on TV this morning as I had my coffee and eggs at the local diner, er, mess hall. Of course, what really makes the song isn't the tune or the lyrics, it's the woman's gasp of surprise/shock/pleasure right at the beginning.
Today's movie is more DS-9. The first episode of Season 3. It holds so much promise and also showcases what I hate in later Trek. Sisko finally has a decent haircut, and every now and then shows there's a living breathing person in there. I like Sisko, that is, I like the actor and the basic character concept, he's just been written flat for the past two seasons. His forcing Quark to kiss the Grand Nagus' staff shows a loony side that has been lurking. Oh, and the haircut helps.
What really, really, really ticked me off was the Romulan. You see, TNG so altered what Romulans and Klingons were that they became bad cartoons of their original function. The Spartan soldiers with a passion for life, and yet willing to die for their nation, are gone. Instead are these temperamental, sputtering prissies with weird growths on their forehead. What is up with that anyway? Weird foreheads worked for Klingons, now everyone has to have them. Here's hoping NuTrek gives up back old school Klingons, like the Commander (Joanne Linville) and Romulan Commander (Mark Lenard).
Star Trek "The Balance of Terror"
At the end of the duel, when the Romulan Commander destroys his ship, he gives a short farewell to Kirk that was just spine tingling when I first heard it.
This episode was instrumental in informing my attitudes toward military duty and the military life. Also, the whole Cold War echoes was very powerful way back then. Of course, the quotes are just great, "He's a sorcerer that one!"
On another note, Joanne Linville's "the Commander" always wore a scarf on her shoulder, somewhat echoing how Pakistani women will wear their scarf that way. Hmmm... Perhaps this also influenced my young mind?
Hmm... Can't find a good picture of The Commander, but this isn't bad:
http://karracaz.deviantart.com/art/Romulan-Commander-3-142784859
Anway, Romulans were cool, and turned into a bad joke by TNG, mainly because they had a bunch of namby-pamby new agey folks for writers. In a word, they sucked.
Don't get me started on Klingons. Though, if you want to see how cool they were watch TOS "The Day of the Dove". Kang is great.
One more note on Mark Lenard - the actor was so cool as Romulan Commander that they recast him later as Spock's father. Mark Lenard rocked.
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