July of a lifetime...

I don’t usually condone posts without tangible meaning, and that’s not to say that this one doesn’t have any, but its real meaning is to allow your humble author the opportunity to textually verbalize what I am about to write.

I have been in Dubai since mid May. I am scheduled to return home on June 29th. I have been instructed to go home, get my bits sorted out (bits and sorted, the two most prized souvenirs from this trip) and come back for an extended stay. So, me being the ever optimistic-opportunistic I have seen a chance to do some real traveling in the month of July.

First off, I am slightly pushing the second leg of my return flight back two days to give me a nice 60 some odd hour layover in London. Then, once I get home and spend the 4^th with my Baltimore peeps, I will whisk myself away on my motorcycle (hopefully, weather permitting) on a several stop tour which will include seeing friends in DC, Charlottesville VA, cruising the blue ridge parkway, more friends in Raleigh NC, and my father and his new wife. Once I return I am off again, this time to Amsterdam, Paris, and Rome. Two days in each with Eurail trips connecting them, finally returning to Dubai by August 1.

31 Days, 6 countries, 3 states, loads of people, memories, and snaps.

This is the plan. Execution is the most critical piece, watch this space for results.

Footbol (soccer) players are...

Panzies. yes, thats right, panzies. World Cup 2006 is off to a roaring start, and being in Dubai, and in fact staying at a place which houses the largest venue in the Emirate to watch all the games has given me a new appreciation for the sport. Nightly the place is packed, rowdy, and within earshot of my apartment. England has the biggest draw by far. So I've taken it upon myself to be an open minded American and really learn the sport. Let me begin by saying that I have a high appreciation for the fitness, footwork, and communication it takes to be a player at that level. That being said, every soccer player reminds me of the cast of Days of Our Lives. Without fail, in any game a player will try to make a move with the ball and a defender will attempt a slide tackle, and each and every time, the ball carrier will throw himself into the air, land in an apparent akward position, and finally wail in apparent pain. The first time I saw this I cringed until I saw the slo-mo replay. BAD ACTORS! Pleading with the refree for a penalty call. Once the ref makes his call, the player springs back to life as if he has had the hands of Jesus placed upon him. Its despicible, especially to this rugby player/fan. In contrast, no matter how badly you are hurt on the rugby pit: concussion, broken arm, anurism, tumor, you never, and I mean NEVER show that you are hurt. This will run the risk of you being taken off the pitch and that is something no rugby player wants. Here is a soccer trivia question: To the right, the Ivory Coast side, or the cast from "Days"? you be the judge.

A German, an Egyptian, and an American walk into a bar...

It sounds like the beginning of a joke, but it is the phrase that's described my second week in Dubai. Jochen and Mohammed have been doing a very good job showing me the ropes of Dubai nightlife. It has been quite an interesting trip. We usually get together after work start out at an Irish pub, and by the way, there are more Irish pubs here than there are in Baltimore, and if you know me, you know what that means! Our topics of discussion have been whats most fascinating. It started with race and politics, has since moved on to religion and our purposes in life. The bottom line is, in anything, we are all the same. Whether it is our stuggles in youth to our desires as an adult. By then we're drunk and our attention turns towards our favorite local Philipino band. They play at the mariners club 7 nights a week. I dont know the name of the band, but they consist of 4 lead singers who all could be sisters and always have a themed attire. Theres a lead guitarist, a bassist, drummer, and keys. The best thing about them is they play hard rock! Mostly American. Seeing 8 Phillipinos belt out "Freeird" or "Sweet Home Alabama" sitting in a club with Aussies, Brits, Egyptians, Palestinians, Germans, Asians and who else knows was quite a mind blowing experience. This is not to mention how good they all are. Often times they would switch instruments, pull out new instruments like a sax or a harmonica, or even play behind their heads, with their teeth, or with the mic stand!


Oh yeah, I also have an online photo album with much more than you see here:
http://community.webshots.com/user/wahoo189