Be careful what you ask for...

Well, it feels like I've fallen into the habit of starting my blog posts with phrases like, "Things are feeling pretty routine..." or "Not much to write about this week..." As a writer, it can be a little difficult to try and make the tedious and routine readable and engaging. Looking back on in, I believe I was complaining a little about how unexciting our lives have seemed to become. Now that I have something of not to write about, I can't help but feel that I didn't appreciate how nice it was to have a little bit of undisrupted routine in my life. There is comfort in tedium, but I think we're conditioned to dismiss it in favor of uncertain adventures.

For the last couple of weeks we have been very busy trying to get ready for the end of school. We haven't wanted to deal with the lingering stress of summer school like we did last summer. We wanted to enjoy our summer which meant we had to put a little work into things in advance of summer (there's probably a lesson in that somewhere).

In addition to the stresses of school, there are the stresses of moving. We have a good sized apartment, but we have no storage rooms or closets or unused corners in which to pile boxes or packed suitcases and the suitcases and boxes are most definitely piling up. In addition to the packing, there's the stress of sifting through all those things that you don't want to move. Two years later, and we're still unloading much of the furniture and other odds and ends we had mistakenly purchased at the beginning of our sojourn. It would be nice to sell some of the stuff, but, after having gone through the experience of owning it, I don't think I could bring myself to charge people for the experience.

This is what we got rid of this time (and I don't think we're quite done yet).

Then there's been the stress of my trip to Texas and Florida. I'm starting my doctoral program this summer and there's been a little bit of anxiety associated with that whole experience. Given the choice between traveling half way around the world and staying home with a good book, I'd probably enthusiastically declare my desire for world exploration and then retire to a bookish life under my covers. I'm always glad to have those adventures, but I'm not so good at enjoying them before or as they're happening. Most of the pleasures I enjoy in life are retrospective.

Oh, and then on the day we were to take off for Florida, I got in my first Abu Dhabi traffic accident. There are advantages to driving an SUV, but the ability to easily see small cars pulling up on your left is not one of them. I completely missed a car in my blind spot as I pulled out onto the street

Ironically, the accident was one of the least stressful moments of the last few weeks. Once I confirmed that the other driver was OK,  everything kind of fell effortlessly into place.

The other driver's English wasn't great. He kept saying, "No problem, no problem." And if it weren't for his incredibly calm demeanor, I would've said he didn't understand what he was saying to me. There was not the least bit of bluster or fist shaking that usually accompanies the post accident adrenaline spike. He had completely accepted what happened and the only thing left to do was call the police. Every accident, no matter how small, has to be reported and no body repairs can be done on a vehicle without a police report. When the accident officer arrived, there was almost a calming ritual to the experience. He began by shaking each of our hands and greeting us. He then took pictures of the damage to the vehicles and explained what I needed to do next. There was more hand shaking and then we parted ways. I've had beach days with more stress.

Julie's reaction to my accident was unexpected. After she made sure I was safe, she told me she was glad it happened. "Maybe, this will teach to to take a little more care as you're driving around on the other side of the world." She obviously felt this was a lesson I needed to learn before I spent too much time on my own.

Obviously, I didn't get much rest that night. Liam and I caught a taxi to the airport at around 11:30 in the evening and everything played out the way it was supposed to. Traveling with Liam is one of the most uneventful experiences of my life. He's a pretty low key traveler. He doesn't complain and makes the most of any given situation. Apart from how long it took to get from Abu Dhabi to London and the general discomfort of the economy seats, the trip couldn't have gone much better.

And yes, I took the liability coverage when the rental place pitched it.

This is Liam at the outset of a great adventure. I wouldn't say he was indifferent.

This was supposed to go up at the beginning of June

It's getting so I can judge a week's eventfulness by the number of pictures I take. These past few weeks I haven't taken any pictures at all. Everything is starting to feel a little routine which probably means that it's about time for a change. It looks like we'll be changing our living accommodations soon. It's a little overwhelming to try and navigate the housing market here, but I think we've settled on an area close to some people we know and relatively close to a karate dojo. Hopefully things will work out. We'll be sure to keep you posted.

There have been a few advancements in Karate. Just to keep everyone up to speed, Liam is at his Brown 2 in both Karate and Kobudo (that puts him two tests away from his black belt in each of those). Lucy is now a brown belt, Miranda has her purple belt, and James his yellow. It's been a great lesson in persistence and accomplishment. There was also a piano recital for Liam and Lucy. Their teacher will be moving back to China this summer, which will be keenly felt. They've both grown considerably under her care.

In just a few weeks Liam and I will embark on some serious father-son bonding time. It's a long flight from Abu Dhabi to Texas, but I think our relationship can handle that kind of unbuffered intensity. Liam will be off to his first EFY. I wish I had some experience with these kinds of things, I feel like I'm kind of throwing hi,off the deep end. How do you counsel someone through their teenage years when you were so miserable at the experience? I really have no advice to give him on girls or friends or hobbies or goals. I can't help but look back on my youthful experiences with regret and embarrassment. I guess I am a wealth of knowledge of what not to do and how not to be.

We're coming to the end of our school year. With the changes and challenges of this semester, it feels like it's been a long time coming. Not too long ago, the college I work at decided that there would be a shift from laptops to iPads for each student. You might imagine that this can have pretty drastic implications both on infrastructure and teaching. I've been involved on an iPad implementation committee which has made things busier at a time when they should be slowed down. It's not the change as much as the pace of change that can be a little overwhelming. I'm used to major changes going through several committees before being slowly rolled out. That's not quite how things play out here. It can be taxing, but, if you're up for it,it can also be very exciting.

I took Liam and Lucy to see Snow White and the Huntsman last week. It was one of those movies that would have been improved by the absence of dialogue--the design, cinematography and special effects were of the highest calibre, but the plot and dialogue were painfully cliched. However, it did give us occasion to discuss why The Avengers was so satisfying and this was not. It's fun to have conversations like this with Liam and Lucy now that they're getting to an age where their critical thinking skills are starting to blossom (and what better use of critical thinking skills is there than to extol the virtues of comic book movies?).

I've been reading a lot lately and ideas and motivation. Drive by Daniel Pink is an interesting book on what motivates people. Where Good Ideas Come From by Steven Johnson makes some great observations on the role of networking and collaboration in the birth of innovative ideas. It's good to think about why people do things, but you can go a little crazy if you think about it too much. We've also been watching Friday Night Lights and even though it's about football, football is the least important element of the show. As my kids get a little older, sometimes it hits a little too close to home, so I can't watch too many episodes too close together, but it is always worthwhile.

Speaking of my aging kids, Lucy turned twelve this week. I'm sure most fathers of twelve year olds completely understand how I'm feeling when I say, "Ack!" Any day now I keep expecting her to call me out for the fraud I am. "You don't know anything about parenting, do you? You totally lucked out with your kids." she'll say. And she'll be right.

Yup, I think it's time for a change

Is this drastic enough?

A belated post and an update

April 20, 2012

Add caption

Everybody but Liam making a funny face. (Liam's making a teenage face)

To say that we are still recovering from our visit with grandparents would be a bit of an understatement. We pack a month of excitement into a mere seven days. You've got to pay on one end or the other. The kids have been getting caught up with school, contrary to popular opinion homeschooling is not all fun and games even if the students get to attend class in their pajamas. Work has been full for me. One of the exciting things about working in this environment it that it's constantly changing. Flexibility is helpful in maintaining one's sanity. Change does tend to be a little wearing, but it's a lot better than a rut.

Easter kind of came and went without much fanfare. We had prepared by buying a bag of mini-egg peanut butter cups (yes, you can get anything here), but we ended up buying them a little too early and the temptation proved too much to resist. We replaced the bag after Easter and had a little hunt around the apartment (one of the downsides of middle-east living is the lack of post holiday candy discounts). Last Saturday was our ward Easter party. It was a beautiful day and the kids had a lot of fun. Julie got a much needed respite while I took the kids for the copious quantities of food and fun. It was a combined ward activity so it was great to see a few faces we haven't seen in a while. The people in our ward are here for all kinds of reasons and I've really enjoyed the opportunity to socialize with such a diverse group of people.

Also, last week we had the opportunity to watch Hugo together as a family. Some good friends of ours had given us the movie Hugo. We had read the book but the 3D turned us off from seeing the movie in the theatre. It turned out to be a wonderful little film with some nice performances and beautiful cinematography.

What was a little surprising was what Lucy loved most about the movie. Her favorite parts of the movies were the brief scenes where they showed clips from classic silent films. I guess it's time to bust out the Chaplin and the Keaton films. That'll be a lot of fun. I always get a kick out of how much the kids enjoy the Errol Flynn Robin Hood. I,ve always been a firm believer in not showing my kids anything I wouldn't sit down and watch with them. Hence, not a single Barbie film in our entire collection. There's so much good and appropriate entertainment out there that there should never be a reason to waste our time with feature length toy commercials (Cars 2 I'm talking to you!)

Julie finished reading Down the Mysterly River to the kids this week. I had read it a few months before and can't help but believe that most readers of this blog would really enjoyed the adventures of the boy detective and his good friends. McTavish the cat is easily one of my favorite characters in literature. There's mystery, adventure and goodness. What more could you ask for in a story?

May 18, 2012

Well, It's been weeks since I've written and even longer since I last posted. We've been incredibly busy--it seems like we never stop, but there's been little of note happening in our lives. We have been focusing on school and there have been a number of projects at work that have been interesting, but we're not being as adventurous as perhaps we could be. It's bee almost two years since we arrived and we've seen surprisingly little of the country. Apart from Dubai, we really haven't visited any of the other Emirates. Our hope is to get out a little more this summer since we're not going anywhere. It's amazing how unadventurous one can be in such an exotic place.

A good chunk of our kitchen not in our kitchen.

We continue to struggle with cockroaches. Julie continues to be a trooper, but I think that she's starting to get a little worn down by the whole experience. It's pretty difficult to empty one's kitchen of every pot, pan and can of food without experiencing a little stress. Did I mention that she home schools too? She's an amazing lady, who, I think would relish the opportunity to be a little less amazing.

Karate Master in action

"Did you just take my picture? How dare you!"

Liam's karate continues to improve. As with any skill, the better he gets at it, the harder he has to work to see noticeable improvement. He is dedicated and consistent in ways make me want to be better. Lucy continues to knit with great enthusiasm and skill. It seems like her hands are always knitting whether she's watching something on TV or reading a book. Miranda is a whirlwind of creativity. If she,s not writing a new play or creating an artistic masterpiece from discarded scraps of fabric, she's dancing. She doesn't know how to move without bounding. It's quite inspiring. James is improving his skills with Lego. He's getting to be quite the builder and we're grateful for his talents, even if the debris from his creations making walking in his room a little treacherous.

Of course, I took the kids to see The Avengers when it opened. Julie was generous enough to let us go without her. (I did make it up to her by taking her the following week. It was very generous of me sitting through that movie a second time if I do say so myself) The kids loved it, but they had been primed to,and the shwarma gag only made us feel like we're a little ahead of the curve. I think I've done a fairly good job of raising my kid to appreciate the finer elements of geek culture. Unfortunately, they know absolutely nothing about sports. I need to remedy that so they can at least bluff their way through small talk in the future.

High Adventure

We promised high adventure for Grandma and Grandpa, and though it hasn't all gone according to plan, we have definitely made things memorable. No doubt you've come to appreciate the region's love of superlatives--the biggest, the tallest, the most. And Grandma and Grandpa have definitely experienced their fair share of superlatives. Driving in from the Airport, they experienced their first superlative in the form of the most leaning building in the world. It does catch your attention even at one in the morning.

The jet lag wasn't particularly kind to their sleeping habits, but fortunately there was enough adrenaline to get everyone through day one. Liam treated us to pancakes for breakfast and then we were off to see and ride the camel at the heritage village. Anyone who knows my father, can appreciate that he likes to understand processes and details. When he's in a new restaurant, or patronizing a new business, he's methodical in how he approaches the experience. He wants to know about the people working there, the origins of the franchise, overhead costs and profit margins. Well, this drive to know is extending to the entire country of the UAE. From the moment he landed, he's been working overtime to comprehend the region. I've been able to answer most of his questions, but not all. He asks some pretty good ones. I've been impressed with how hard he's been working to understand as much as he can in as little time as possible.

After heritage village, we gave Grandma and Grandpa their first UAE mall experience. Marina Mall is the biggest mall in Abu Dhabi which means it's got a bit of everything and a little more just in case. My favourite thing to show is the Mercedes dealership, because you never know when the whim might strike you to add a new luxury vehicle to your collection. That night there were Shwarmas from a new place down the street.

We have been to the future and driven in its driverless cars.

Day two, we introduced Grandma and Grandpa to the gold and carpet souks as well as Masdar City. More opulence. It was Chinese food for dinner and the new Muppet Movie. We tried to keep things pretty low key so they could recover a bit from their journeying.

Day three was the beach. It was a perfect day for it. There was a bit of a chill to the water, but a fantastic breeze kept us out there a little longer than we should have been. There was a Krispy Kreme outlet on the boardwalk that brightened my Dad's day. That night, the adults went out for Mexican and the kids got some much needed down time with a movie at home. I don't know what it is, maybe it's some primal need to prove myself, but I find myself working to keep up with my father's appetite and coming up short almost every time. I haven't been that full for a very long time. We were sent home with more Krispy Kreme donuts, because that's what grandpa does. At this point James has declared that we've had enough Krispy Kreme donuts and don't need any more. Sometimes my kids make me so proud.

Foreman James!

"How did I get here?"

All of his questions have helped me to look anew at things I've started to take for granted. It really is amazing how used to things like call to prayer or the cacophony of foreign languages one can get. This is home for us and so it's easy to take the differences for granted.

Day four was a visit to Dubai. In order to make the most of it, we were off early in the morning. I also hoped to mitigate the heat we'd experience because our air conditioning was down (horrible timing, but we did promise adventure). We experience a significant sandstorm on the way up which impacted visibility and made driving with the windows down a little problematic, but we made it without too much difficulty. Our first stop was Dubai mall, which continues to overwhelm me and put me ill at ease. Grandma and Grandpa did a little book and toy shopping with the grandkids, stopped by the aquarium with the worlds largest acrylic panel and then a little lunch. I only got lost two or three times.

After lunch we were off to the Mall of the Emirates to see what an in-door ski slope looks like because you really have to see it if you're here. Ellen shopped at the mall for a little bit while we took the kids to see Mirror Mirror which proved to be a pleasant take on Snow White for kids. Very pretty and creative in parts and the kids seemed to enjoy it quite a bit.

We've spent a little more time in malls than we tend to do. The funny thing about malls here is that they should be one of the most familiar settings in the region for Westerners. The malls here are just like the malls in the US and Canada (with the exception of hosting a few higher end shops here--who knew that Louis Vuitton had a kids line?). It's in the malls that I should feel most comfortable, but I don't. That's the foreign experience for us.

By the time we made it home everyone was ready for bed and the only consensus that we could reach about the following day was that it would be a late start.

Day five was the lowest key of all our days. This high adventure does tend to take its toll. We met for lunch at a nearby mall and then shopped about for a birthday gift for Liam. He found a game at the video game souk (yes there is a video game souk in Abu Dhabi). We also got to spend a little time in the pool at Grandma and Grandpa's hotel. It wasn't heated, but that didn't prove to be too much of a deterrent. That night was Liam's birthday dinner. He had put it off so that Grandma and Grandpa could join us. Ketchup chicken, roast chicken (courtesy of Miranda) and cream puffalicious for desert. It was quite the feast.

Day six was church. Julie hosted a great brunch in the morning. Then off to church which is pretty much like church wherever you go, save for it being a bit more international in its flavour. That night, Liam had his Karate Test (for those keeping track his is not a Brown 3 in both Kobudo and Karate). Then back to the apartment for some more cream puffalicious with Grandma and Grandpa.

We ended our final day together on a high not. We started off by going to the church so that Liam could be interviewed for an advancement to teacher and then we set him apart. It was nice to have Grandpa be there to participate in that. After that we were off to the Grand Mosque. It was my first time inside and I must say I was rather impressed. We had a great tour guide who was adept at pointing out the really interesting details. After the Grand Mosque it was Crepes and a little bit of shopping at the Central Souk, basically Abu Dhabi's attempt to combine the traditional market experience with some of the conveniences of a modern mall. The girls found some great earrings and James found a fun little toy. We ended the night with a somewhat traditional meal at a nearby restaurant. I'm not sure what Grandma and Grandpa thought about it, but it was an experience that they needed to have. It was not easy to say good-bye, but it helped that everything had gone so well.

I'm not sure how we could have done more. It really felt like cramming a month's worth of experience into a few days. Grandma and Grandpa did a great job navigating the newness of their surroundings. And, thanks to the magic of Skype we were able to skip the whole getting reacquainted phase of visits and hit the ground running. The only thing that really surprised Grandma and Grandpa was Liam's height. We're hoping that after they get home that the stories they share might inspire a few more adventurous souls to explore the excitement of the Middle East. As they will no doubt tell you, we make pretty good tour guide, even when the air conditioning in our van's on the fritz.

What we do when we're waiting

This has been for the most part an anticipatory week. We have been anticipating the coming break and, of course, the arrival of grandparents. Are we 100% ready for their arrival?

The highlight of the week was seeing a production of "A Midsummer's Night Dream" by The Globe Theatre Company. Sometimes I have to pinch myself because of the opportunities we have just a few minutes from our home.It was my first time to the Abu Dhabi theatre which lies at the end of a long promontory in the shadow of one of the tallest flagpoles in the world. I wanted to get to the theatre early because It was an open seating affair, which is how it should be with the Globe. I thought I planned things out carefully. We parked at the mall, which is a little more than a kilometer from the theatre. That way we were guaranteed a spot and would avoid the mad crush of traffic departing the show. I needn't have put so much thought into the affair. It seemed the closer we got, the more empty parking spaces we found. Even though my daughters weren't wearing the most comfortable of shoes, they never complained or criticized me. They simply laughed.Julie prepped our children for the play by reading the story from E. Nesbit's Wonderful Stories of Shakespeare, so they were primed for the plot and could focus on the language and performance of the play. It was a great performance, the best production of that play that I've ever seen, but what was just as satisfying for me was watching my kids enjoying the play. When it was all done, Lucy complained at the soreness of her cheeks from laughing so hard. We were out a little late on a school night and paid for it with an added quantity of grumpiness the following day, but it was more than worth it.

Liam conducting the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra

The biggest thing to happen was Liam turning fourteen this past week. On Saturday he had some friends over for video games and pizza (you don't have birthday parties when you're fourteen--you just kind of hang out). I remember fourteen being a kind of monumental year for me. I also remember it being an incredibly confusing and insecurity-inducing time. At fourteen I think I was pretty aware of what a geek I was and that was at a time before the Internet when it wasn't cool to be a geek. When I look at my son and the confidence and competence he exudes, I can't help but but see the contrast between the two of us. I genuinely enjoy his company and look up to him. He may still be trying to figure out what he wants to do, but he knows who he is and in this world of distraction that is a becoming a rare thing indeed.

Liam is now a brown belt 3--Three more test until his black belt!

In other news, I officially became the best husband
in the world when I surprised my wife with a dryer.
There were tears, literally.

The Media Review Edition

James Receiving his Yellow Belt

I enjoy working here, but a few months ago I came to the realization that professionally I had kind of plateaued. For a middle aged guy with a Master's in Teaching English as a second language, I wasn't going to find a better gig that what I have now. On the one hand it made me grateful for the opportunity I had, on the other, it caused me to view most future professional paths as inevitable steps back, and that was a little discouraging to me. As I talked with people, it seemed that if I wanted to open up new opportunities, I would need to go back to school. This wasn't a new revelation. I had resisted going back to school for years because I honestly couldn't think of anything that I wanted to study at the doctoral level and I had met too many people with PhDs that ended up spending so much time and effort in their field that they became almost sick of the thing that was once their passion. It wasn't until I started looking at the field of Education Technology and curriculum design that I started getting excited about school again. After a number of discussions and a fair bit of research, I decided that the best program for me was being taught at the University of Florida. (Their education program was just ranked 34 in US News and World Report)

 I was a little intimidated at the application process and did not relish the prospect of taking the GRE (it has been over 20 years since my last real math class, and despite all they tell you in school, apart from basic addition, subtraction and multiplication, you really don't use much of the rest of the stuff in day to day life unless you're my brother-in-law Doug). But the program was something I wanted enough that I was willing to overcome present anxieties and insecurities. Well, after months of hard work and hand-wringing, I just found out that I was accepted into the program for this fall. It's basically going to consume my life for the next 4 years, but the potential upside is too great to be anything other than excited. It's what's called a blended form of study which means I'll be doing a large chunk of it online with some time each summer in Gainesville. And, even though I don't follow the sport, I am excited to go to a school with a football team worth rooting for. Go Gators!

 In other news, all that good stuff I said about Downton Abbey, I'm on the verge of taking it all back. We just wrapped up season two and where the first season was about being both noble and petty towards the insignificant (sentiments I can relate to because I'm surrounded by so much insignificance), the second season devolved into melodrama that completely crowded out the insignificant. War, debilitating injury, scandalous affairs, mortal Spanish flu outbreaks and, of course, murder. It's all too much and were it not so well acted, I would turn my back on the thing completely. It used to be engrossing the way a good book could be, inviting you into a fully realized world. Now it engrosses me the way an extra large serving of ice cream does, a heady rush of flavor and sugar followed by a tinge of regret and nausea. Proceed at your own caution.

For almost a year my kids have been awaiting the return of the Voice. A lot of people have written about the differences between this show and American Idol. I never followed American Idol because I felt that at its core it was mean spirited and degrading.  Even when the judges were trying to be kind to the contestants, I often felt like there was a level of condescension that was unmerited. Though I don't always agree with some of the decisions the coaches on the voice make(especially this season), I feel that there's a real generosity towards the performers that is uncommon in popular media today. It's easy to be snarky and critical of those around you, but it takes real work to find the good in another and nurture that goodness to excellence. Now, if only we could find some way to persuade Christina of the merits of modest fashions, the show would be just about perfect.

This is Woola. Never has their been a more loyal companion
to man!

Last week, I took Liam and Lucy to see John Carter, the only condition was that the had to read "A Princess of Mars" to prepare themselves. I have to say that it was the most fun I've had at the movies in a while. It's silly, but it's so committed to its silliness that it achieves a level of genuine earnestness. This is the movie experience I hoped for from both the Star Wars prequels and Avatar. Though both of those were visually spectacular, they lack heart and humor. The kids loved it. I think I primed them well for it. The only problem now is dealing with their inevitable disappointment over the fact that we won't be seeing any sequels due the high price tag and poor marketing. Fortunately, we have the books to take us back to Barsoom for more adventures. Liam's on the second one now and Lucy just finished the fourth. When you have such good readers for kids you don't have to depend on the whims of Hollywood to make great entertainment.

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.