Friday Night in Salmiya

This time it involves curlers and multiple episodes of House MD, complete with chocolate cookies. It's been a long week, people.

Long week but stunningly beautiful day. I went out and walked on The Corniche for over an hour- I had an email from a friend back home who isn't doing so hot, and she was reminiscing about how she'd run over to my place for coffee when things got tough. Someone else, some other family has been in that flat for over 6 months, and I still think about it as "My Flat". I still think about the sunshine through the windows, M. laying on the carpet drinking a beer back in Hurricane Katrina days.

Got a couple of calls and a caustic one-liner message from Loverboy of three nights past. I mean, the cliches were bad enough, but he tried leaving with his wallet on my coffee table. Don't try leaving with your wallet on my coffee table. I've been rejecting you for ninety minutes and we both know it. I don't inspire passion enough to make someone forget their Visa card and we both know that too. Take ALL a y'all sh-- and get to steppin. Showin up without a chess board like dat.

My Ipod was located, heimdullilah! Now I am no longer singing solo with Trent Reznor. Yes, I would be the woman in the little white Pajero blaring "Head Like a Hole" and "Supermassive Black Hole." We all have our kinks, I just happen to have 3 people's worth. Come on! I also listen to Dido and Johnny Cash and Yo Yo Ma. I do a stunning counterpoint to "Streets of Laredo" at stoplights all over Salmiya.

Lazy morning, grocery shopping and errands singing "Don't Leave Home" at the top of my lungs. Finally located actual Maple Syrup- the guys at Carrefour thought I was nuts, especially when I found the sugar-free version in the Diabetic Foods and attempted a hands-on explanation that I wanted the stuff found in nature.

Then home again, home again jiggetty jig. Washed off the dust, made some cookies, settled down with some curlers and a movie. It's getting so that this takes a while, now. I tried going to a salon to have to done, but it was...fake looking.

Once in a generation female; once in a generation hair. No mop like this outside of Blue Earth County, MN and I understand a little now why my father wouldn't let me cut it while I was growing up. From what I saw of my cousins, I don't think any of them inherited it and my father had 5 children: I'm the only one with it. Point being, no salon is going to replicate what I can do with a little time and effort and it can be jaw dropping in the sunlight.

J. happens to be in Dubai- met her parents on Thursday night. Genuinely lovely people, and we had a dinner at the Mubarrikah in Dasman. I'm still having trouble with the ordering food- I love the meat grilled in cubes on a stick. However, "Kebab" refers to chopped meat formed into a oblong piece that resembles something like a bowel movement, with or without rice. This time, I was very specific about "Meat On A Stick", but the order that came back was "Stick of Meat", i.e. not what I wanted. Oh, they provide tasty grilled meats on a stick at this location, because I've had them before when someone ordered the food when I wasn't paying attention. I'm thinking of getting a camera and creating my own PECS book specifically for restaurants. I shouldn't complain, I mean, a fish the size of a sideboard appeared on the table midway through the meal that nobody ordered.

So it's quiet in the land of Kuwait tonight. Curlers are in, children are outside playing in the perfect Spring evening, phone is quiet. A twenty hour plane flight away, people are watching little yellow buses pull in, Friday is M.'s day in the classroom that used to be mine. I know it's green there, and probably cloudy, and as alien to this place as my walk through the Date Palms this morning would be to the people I love. Those people breaking their backs to keep home and family together, who dream of being able to do what I'm doing now.

How deeply I love and appreciate what you do for this world.