The hardest part of getting knocked off that horse is the getting back on

"Portrait of a Mid-Life Crisis"

It's been a few weeks and I wish I could say that those weeks were uneventful. However, such has not been the case. There have been changes in my job and a visit to the emergency room for me. There have been Karate advancements all around and the kids have been working hard at school. 

I have a small confession to make. For the last few months I have been hiding the fact that I've been doing Karate. It was something I always wanted to do and after watching the kids have so much fun with it over the last year, I finally drummed up the courage to give it a go. Things went pretty smoothly for the first few months. After a brutal introduction, I began to show a little progress and I was pretty happy with myself when I earned my yellow belt (for those keeping score, that puts me on par with James). I wanted to move up a couple of more levels before I let people know what I was doing. I'm a little cagey when it comes to trying new things and letting other people know. Any new announced endeavour that's not accomplished is fodder for mockery. But after a fateful class, a slight fracture to my elbow and seven stitches above my left eye, I couldn't keep that secret anymore. I didn't earn the injury in any real exciting fashion. Basically I did a jump, kick, and landed with a little less stability than I would have liked, relying too much on a brick wall and my head to help me regain my balance. Let the mocking begin.

Science is everywhere

The Great Volvo Ocean Race Comes to Abu Dhabi

Yes, I did manage to get one of those balls on that floating green.

The kids all seem well. We've had a bit of a cold spell here over the past couple of weeks which basically means it was mildly uncomfortable going out in shorts and a t-shirt after dark. However, some of the residents here have bundled up like they're on the ski slopes. It's an interesting sight to pass someone in a dish-dash (those long white robes the men wear) wearing a winter coat and scarf and earmuffs to keep the cold out.


It's time to go back to Karate, but I'm finding it a little difficult to regain the lost momentum. Before the incident, I had never missed a day. There were a lot of days I felt too tired or sore to go, but I went because I enjoyed it and felt myself improving bit by bit, but I've lost some of my flexibility and forgotten my combos and a good chunk of my kata. I've not been active enough in my life to have any experience with these kinds of setbacks; however, I don't think I have much choice when it comes to renewing my commitments. I can't handle the disappointed look my kids give me when I tell them I'm not up to it. Those looks are positively withering.

In other news: I don't know if the cockroaches are getting worse or if they're just getting more comfortable with us. Most times, the kids take them in stride. There's very little screaming and helpless hopping around. They've become so commonplace that they barely elicit a reaction anymore. Lucy and Miranda aren't big on actually squashing the little intruders, but they don't bother to let them be a bother. Julie's no fan of their presence, the kitchen's small enough without having to share the limited cupboard space, but most days she's able to shrug them off too. We've all come to terms with the fact that cockroaches are simply a consequence of the climate. If you're talking to someone who's lived here and they haven't had any experiences with cockroaches, it's only because the cockroaches weren't comfortable enough to come out in the day. They're there.They're everywhere and the sooner you come to terms with that fact, the happier you'll be.

When you're in a foreign country on a three year contract, it's hard to fully commit to the place (especially when you have to share it with so many six legged friends). You find yourself buying things to make do instead of buying things you really want. Why invest in furniture that you're going to have to get rid of in the near future?

Having bought a household of things we really don't like that much makes it seem a little frivolous to want to replace things that are perfectly serviceable even if they are ugly and uncoordinated. I am no fan of stuff, but I do believe that if you are going to be weighed down by possessions, they should be possessions you actually enjoy. We need to be practical and make provision for the future, but even more important than our plans for tomorrow is living fully in the moment. I don't know how much longer we're going to be here but I do know that I want to do a better job of making the now just a little more pleasant.

We're all tired and looking forward to having a week off with Grandpa and Grandma at the end of the month. We just got word that they're visas came through, so it's pretty much a done deal. We've been doing our best to prepare them for their middle east experience. We'll see soon enough how well we've done at that.