I hope this comes to the UAE....

What a Week...

So, back in the full swing of things here after a short week last week. It's been a busy five days and I'm very glad that it's Thursday! I got a cold, got a bad case of insomnia, had what seemed like a million early morning work meetings, and was happy to have my cats arrive safely. Tonight we get a bit of a reward and are headed out to celebrate Oktoberfest with the senior Cobbs.

Like everything else, getting the cats was an interesting endeavor. They arrived late from Amsterdam (past 11PM), so Eric and I were waiting around in Cargo Village at the import customs office for about 30 minutes or so. We finally made contact with the "agent" who was going to be actually picking up Brendan and Nubbins - he was vaguely eastern European and not necessarily the person I wanted to trust with my cats. He basically walked around the customs office, getting seemingly random stamps and paying cash to at least four different desks before he went out to the giant loading area and came back with the cats on the back of a little golf cart. I have no idea what would've happened if we had tried to get them on our own. We were so excited to see them.

I was worried, but it turned out they were the same as ever. They both had a sniff about the apartment, before using their new crap shack, eating some wet food, then some dry food, and then it was time for bed. Brendan spent most of the night walking around the room and telling me all about his exciting adventure.

Last night they were completely back to normal, and it seems as though they were always here with us. I'm sorry to have put them through such an ordeal, but I'm very glad to have them with me!

Just got word from Eric, apparently, we'll be able to start the move in process a few days early - like, this weekend!!! Pictures to follow soon.

I hope everyone in SoCal is okay - I guess Eric and I got out at the right time.

How many of you?

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There are 18 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

Musings...

Probably the coolest thing about Dubai, and believe me, it's not the weather, is just how international the city is. We went out for a big old buffet dinner on Friday night, and our table was like the EU. There were English, Irish, Swiss, and French. At work, it's not different, in 22 employees there are: British, Lebanese, Phillipina, Fiji, Australian, and Irish. I am the token American. It's what I moved for, and I like that you never know what accent you're going to hear when someone opens their mouth. It begs the obvious observation that, "What about the Emerati?" Yes, all in good time. I don't want to be so Western specific, but at this point, leaving the wonderful and amazing friendships back in the States, I am desperate for companionship! That's probably the most difficult thing about the move. You try replacing 5-10 years of friendships all at once! It's impossible, because all my friends are true one of a kinds. A 'boop' to all of you.

Sentimentality aside, I have today and tomorrow off because of the Eid holiday - which is super nice. I'm abusing the free internet at work by catching up on about a month of being away from it. I went to the gym this morning and am hopeful this will be something I keep up with. Of course, laying at the pool tomorrow sounds like fun...

Eric and I spent the weekend further exploring the area, and scouting for our furniture. We also enjoyed a all you can eat, all you can drink buffet with some new friends.

It promises to be a busy week - hopefully, we'll be moving in to our apartment, there's a party on Friday, and we're supposed to get together for dinner with Bridget's parents soon.

Our new home away from home...

Exterior shots of where we will be living - it's a fortress!! Guests are welcome.

And then there was Deira...

Again, apologies for the lack of pictures. It's been difficult having to go to an Internet cafe to do all my e-mails...pictures soon - I hope!

So, last night, Eric and I decide that we're going to go grab some local food. No worries, there are a TON of places to eat. We (Eric) decide on a shisha place that is across the street from our temporary apartment. We kick off our shoes, kick back, crawl in, order a shisha, and then realize we are listening to "We Are The World." Yup, it's an all 80's CD and we are treated to "Lady in Red" as well as the stylings of Richard Marx. The best is when we hear Love Boat. Seriously. We've been in Deira since we arrived, it's a suburb in Dubai and very compact. There is bizarro traffic at all times of day, and all nationalities walking around. I have to admit, that the lifestyle of Dubai Festival City where we will be moving seems like more my pace.

Not to worry...we eat our shwarma (ummm...I'm trying to think what it is like) and hummus and have tea and smoke. It was nice, however, I'm looking forward to interacting with someone besides my husband tomorrow!

Less Than a Week...

So, I've been here all of almost one week, and already I had my first interview! It's with a company that does something I excel at - executive assistance. Don't laugh, because it's actually a real skill. All those years of handling the Warner execs is really going to come in handy...

Either way, basically when really important executives come to town I help them out - at least that's what I can figure the job is. I have a second interview tomorrow and then...? Who knows? The great part is that my interviewer mentioned travel, like, if someone is needed in another office in let's say, Paris, then they see if one of us wants to go - sign me up! The salary is decent, they will pay for my visa, and a ticket home every year! (Eric's company is already paying for our tickets as well).

I got to go to the Emirates Towers to interview, and got my first "eagle eye" view of the city from the 41st floor (where the offices are) and it was amazing!!! Seriously.

In other news...Eric and I are moving clsoer to finding a place. Because Eric is basically totally hooked up with his company, we get first shot at some pretty amazing apartments in Dubai Festival City. If I get the job with Servcorp (which, yes, I know, sounds like some Animatronic fake name company - www.servcorp.net), then neither of our commutes would be that bad...which is saying a lot because traffic here is absolutely retarded. It's Atlanta and LA combined - but with NO RULES!!!

Anyway, things are definitely looking up - hope your past week was a good one.