Shangri La
Shangri La waterfront The waterfront at the Shangri La hotel, with the Sheikh Zayed mosque at center.Was there the other day to pick up a picture I had framed. Beautiful area. Dragon Boat festival is there next weekend.
Posts
Coffee & Chicken Sandwiches
I suppose it's time to start writing about Abu Dhabi. Well, to start writing something at any rate. It's Thursday morning here, the last day of the work week. I'm on break between classes having a coffee and chicken sandwiches for "tea'. The fog that surrounded the campus this morning as I came in is gone. The temperature is good. We're planning to do some driving tomorrow. Should be a good day for it. Need to make some playlists for the drive tonight. Where to begin with Abu Dhabi? I can't, really. We're living in a great condominium provided by the company. Well, picked out by us but paid for directly by the company, which makes a lot of things easier. Three bedrooms, with a nice rooftop balcony that I want to start using as the home gym as the weather gets to something tolerable. The house is in order, and last weekend I replaced the mirrors on the bike. I need to get out on the road and comfortable with how people drive here. After that, I should...
Ash is Home
Ash arrived yesterday morning. I was able to get the visa just the day before that. The visa process is a story that will need some writing and explaining. I'll also write up a guide for other expats out there. Knowing the process and what to expect will make things much less stressful, for them at least. In other good news got a short e-mail from my brother, Chip, on facebook. Looks like he is taking first steps to join the internet age. Hopefully we'll be in better contact from now on, though if he's like the rest of my family I doubt the whole internet thing will really catch on with him. Sigh.
Internet
One of the many nice things about Abu Dhabi is we have real internet. The system I am on is fiberoptic, though the speeds don't match up to the speeds I had in Japan three years ago, they are good. And after Saudi Arabia they are fantastic. So, internet gaming is a valid hobby from here, as is playing Assassins Creed: Brotherhood on the Xbox. With the summer heat already turning on, indoor hobbies will be a must for the next couple of months. Of course, it's fall I'm really looking forward to with the release of the new Star Wars MMO, "The Old Republic".
Getting Closer to Normal
Yesterday was the lasts hang-up in getting Ash's visa, the form returned to me for incomplete information that the person I submitted it through told me was fine not to include. The form went from him, two days ago, to another person in the company. That person, rather than call me as he could have easily done, you know, to help out a fellow company employee and all, sent the form back. This would have cost me two days in application procedure and have made me need to book another plane ticket. Instead, I found out there is express service available that gets the visa back in two days, it does cost 100 dirhams, about $30. I paid the fee, and concealed my annoyance they didn't tell me that in the first place. If all goes well Ash will be out here in Abu Dhabi next Wednesday morning. The house has some basic furniture and, of course, it has two cats. So life will be back to normal finally. Our household stuff should arrive by the end of the month, and then we'll have everyt...
New Horizons
Posting here for the first time in just over a year. The past year has been busy, with some ups and downs. A very long, very frustrating time in Portugal. The situation in Portugal wasn't helpful for keeping my interest in writing and podcasting and such. I'm now nearly two months into living in Abu Dhabi. Things are looking positive, and as Ash and I get our life settled in here I hope to start having things to write about and share with people once again.