An update: what a crazy concept

+ Wes finally got his eye surgery. He was going to get the LASIK but apparently his eyes are all weird so he had to get the other type. Anyway, he's still recovering and he's off of work until next Wednesday. Until then it's lots and lots of eye drops, laying in dark rooms and not doing too much else. Hopefully he will be recovered enough to do something for his actual birthday this coming Tuesday.

+ We're less than one month away from the wedding. Even closer than that? Being back in the States: May 13. Currently, I am SICK of planning the wedding and asking people to do stuff re: the wedding. I am thinking we should have just used the money for some crazy trip instead. Oh well. No turning back now.

+ Speaking of which... I'll be in Chicago May 15-17 for a SND MeetUp. Super excited for that. Plus I plan on doing some "Chicago eating" while in town. Hot Doug's, here I come.

+ The big WOMAD festival is currently going on in Abu Dhabi. It's a big cultural music festival featuring lots of live performances on the public beach. Totally free. Robert Plant, of Led Zepplin fame, is headlining tomorrow night. I'll be there.

+ Wes and I secured tickets to the big Abu Dhabi F-1 race for the weekend of Nov. 1. Should be insane.

+ We're starting to come to the realization that no one will probably come visit us here. I think what it comes down to is people imagine the UAE and the rest of the Middle East as a non glamourous place. It's too bad, really, because the UAE is full of glamour and flash. Since we've come to this realization we've decided to just go ahead and start using our vacation time. After wedding season is over we're looking at trips to India and Istanbul for sure... both are easy (and cheap) weekend trips for us. Also in the near future: Malta (staying with realitives makes it cheap).

In case your one of the 200+ people ignoring my 50 messages about being in Michigan

Yes. I am in Michigan. WE are in Michigan. Have been since Jan. 15. I like how many "friends" are ignoring that fact. We fly 7,000 every weekend!!

I'm not bitter or anything!

Anyway, we head off to have a vacation from our vacation Saturday AM where we head to Cincinnati and Nashville for a few days. In fact, I REALLY need said vacation from our vacation. It's been a hard time here (most being spent in the hospital with my mom). If you don't know about that just ask me, please don't post about it on this blog. Too impersonal.

See you Abu Dhabi cats in no time.

Elysia's top of 2008

::::drum roll please::::

Best big life moment
Moving to a foreign land BEFORE the recession hits
Runner up: Having the funds to actually have a real wedding celebration with

Best dish
White truffled mashed potatoes at Bord Eau in Abu Dhabi
Runner up: Salmon appetizer at Al Fanar in Abu Dhabi

Best event
Barack Obama getting elected
Runner up: Lizzie's going away party at the champagne bar

Favorite album
Vampire Weekend, Vampire Weekend
Runner up: Seriously, was it just me or was there a lack of good music this year?

Best clothing find
Discovering one-of-a-kind clothing on www.newyorkcouture.net
Runner up: The discovery of Harvey Nichols in Dubai as the closest thing to Nordstrom

Best new tradition
My wedding anniversary
Runner up: Monday Cake

Best vacation
Vegas for work
Runner up: (Re)discovering Amsterdam with Wes

Most exciting new food
Learning how to properly enjoy an oyster... condiments included.
Runner up: Foir Gras and pretending I don't know where it comes from

Favorite film
'The Wackness'
Runners up: 'Pineapple Express', 'The Counterfeiters' and 'Tropic Thunder'

Best animal
Camels
Runner up: Greyhounds from afar (greyhounds in person are much, much better)

Best TV on DVD
"It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" season 3
Runners up: Gossip Girl and Mad Men

Next years' list will most likely include: Wedding celebration of the century, getting out of debt, St. Patrick's Day in Ireland

One

Doesn't this say it all?



Happy anniversary, Wes.
Love, Me

December 15?! Really?

It's hard to look at the calendar and believe what it says.

Thinking about Christmas and "winter" when the temperature is still 70+ degrees and sunny outside is nearing impossible.

While most of you will tell me to shut up and stop bragging, it's a very strange experience for someone who has ALWAYS seen snow in December. It feels like I'm stuck in October and Halloween is just around the corner.

While there are little hints of Christmas such as co-workers receiving greeting cards by post, grocery shopping to a PA playing carols and decorative trees dotting malls and hotels, the lack of jacket weather has the excitement factor of the holidays hidden.

And, well, to make matters worse I'm doing most of my shopping via Web. There are no sales fliers or Black Friday fights. And there's certainly a lack of wrapping paper and Cassie's paws prancing all over it.

Maybe this year Christmas will have to hold until our January return.
Bah, humbug.

Michigan (amongst other places) in January

Pretty sure Wes and I will be back in January. It'll be time for us to tie up the loose ends that are the wedding since we won't be back until May. Beside that we have to remember to:

1. Get new Michigan driver's licenses: If we don't we have to take a ROAD TEST upon our US return!
2. File taxes
3. Do all that wedding stuff (especially thrift for the centerpieces!)
4. Celebrate on Jan 20th both Bush leaving office and my friend Kelly's birthday.
5. Pat and cuddle Cassie (like I even have to list that).
6. Fly to Tennessee for a few days to see the nephew and fam.

The I would like to do include:
1. Frankenmuth! I kinda miss that place.
2. Go to Cincinnati for the night to see my aunt/uncle.
3. Pig out on food.
4. Visit the MGM in Detroit.
5. Stay a night at the Book Cadillac.

10 days till Amsterdam

Wes and I are jetting to the Netherlands soon and even though I practically just got back from a vacation I am starting to really believe I need this one! Wes is being sent to a conference there and well, I'm taking vacation (and some lieu days) to tag along.

It's probably fitting since we're NOT going to Thailand now (wedding=lots of money). Oh, and there's also an idea floating around of going to Ireland for St. Patty's Day... but well, it's probably a long shot this year.

Here's our Amsterdam wish list:
1. Cheese. Lots and lots of the amazingly creamy stuff. A visit to Henri Willig Farm is a MUST. While we are there we can also stop at the wooden shoe factory.

2. Go VIP at the Tuschinski. Perhaps the coolest art deco building ever designed, and even maybe the greatest movie theater in the world is the Pathé Tuschinski. The Tuschinski not only offers cinema in style — it offers it VIP. Champagne while you snack on some gourmet popcorn? Yes please.

3. Find food in walls. Glass walls. The surrealness (new word!) of FEBO at 4am can amuse anyone. Especially me.


4. Get free beer. The Henikin Brewery tour is what you'd come to expect from Amsterdam: trippy and psychedelic. A "roller coaster" of a ride ends with many free beers in the factory. Oh, and lends it self to lots of opportunities to make really weird videos. Here's one of many I found online:



5. Become a book.print.worm. Lucky us, the 29th Amsterdam Antiquarian Book, Map & Print Fair is on right before I leave. Vintage typography here I come.

6. Find other people's trash. The U.A.E has nothing in regards to vintage shopping or thrift stores. Needless to say, Wes and I are starving for some good ol' thrifting and Waterlooplein Flea Market should fill that void.

7. Visit the countryside on two wheels. Mike's Bike Tour of Amsterdam came highly recommended via Wes' sister and many reviews on the Web. Sweater weather and a bike ride sounds like pure bliss.

8. All things tasty. I'm starting to formulate a list of "must-taste" places. We're going from Barney's hole-in-the-wall styled Irish Breakfast, cutting-edge Envy and picnic items from Gewoon Eten en Meer (this place is enough to make me move to Amsterdam).

Gewoon Eten en Meer: Tasty picnic treats

9. Flashback as much as possible. Amsterdam has a love for the old and wacky just as much as Wes and I do. Kitch is king at 70s style Bar Bep, the obvious household store Kitsch Kitchen and Laura Dols for the rest of our vintage wedding wares.

Laura Dols: Will you have the matching slippers to my dress?

10. All that typical tourist mumbo jumbo. We will still get in the museums, Red Light District, coffee shops, flowers and windmills. Although I'll probably go without the windmills if time is tight.

Double :(

I'm in the "process" of flying back now. Just landed in Chicago (because flying backward makes sense). Next stop London. THEN the U.A.E.

No biggie or anything... only about 28 hours of travel. Doesn't even compare to the trip here where we spent around 35 hours traveling.

Man, do I have a bad attitude about returning to the U.A.E. or what?!

Home, sweet home

The moment that some of you have been waiting for. Finally! A look at our one bedroom flat.

Blue bedroom, large bed


Bedroom crystal ball



Cozy bathroom, large tub


Duck green livingroom


Where I spend most of my time


Can you spot your picture on my fridge?


Making things like this....

Fond words from the Brits

Today we got into a discussion about France and how I'm secretly afraid to go there after hearing horror stories about the treatment of non-French speakers. I have a feeling that watching "French Kiss" the other night has re-enforced this fear.

The Brits on my desk claim my fears are true.

"You'll go into a shop and speak French trying to order a sandwich and then they will get angry and say, 'YEAH YEAH. I'll get you and sandwich' in English."

"The French are a bunch of cheese eating surrender monkeys."

"I refused for a long time to believe that the French are all assholes. A whole nation can't be like that. But I think they want you to believe they are assholes."

Ringing endorsements about France, eh? I really want to go for the food. But I think I could do without the attitude. Maybe I just need someone that speaks French to go with me, oui?

Nothing to see here people, move along

I'm really glad I'm getting a UAE break in a few weeks. It's 21 days until Vegas now. And a bit more than that till Detroit. I desperately require dog cuddles.

While I get to talk to my mother a pretty good amount here, I am realizing how I have no other contact with anyone. While my grandmother will call every-other month, emails from my dad and a few random text messages/drunk dials from Ade ... well, that's it. Yes, I'm bitching. But not in an angry way. I know people are busy running their own lives and are just trying to keep in contact with those that live in the same town. It's just really really hard sometimes.

I miss getting mail. I miss phone calls. I miss knowing what people are doing over the weekend. And while Facebook was filling that void for a bit — well, it ain't doing it anymore. I feel so disconnected from people.

A date with royalty, part 2

After the sand we decided to stop into the Liwa Date Festival that was nearly in it's last day. While I was hoping for date ice cream we got something even sweeter! A photo and handshake with his Highness General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces and Chairman of the Executive Council of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. How's that for a title?!!


There are plenty of booths at the Liwa Date Festival — including this one featuring a number of different kinds of date trees.


The UAE is IN LOVE with breaking world records. The country's newest is having the largest plate of dates in the world.


Oooooooohhhh... That's a lot of dates.



Lots of "State Fair-like" exhibits showcasing how Emirates used to live in the desert. This is before the gold-platted toilets and large Range Rovers. Notice the shrine to the Sheikh. You'd never see something like that dedicated to Bush.


One of many pictures of Karen and I with dates


A Super.Happy.Gazelle


Wes wishes this truck was his. He's dreamed of the day where he owned a car that matched his pants.




Told you. Just in case you didn't believe me... more photos of dates.


Well look who walked in....

Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and I meet. His response, "Ah, you must be from The National." He's a sharp guy, or at least his PR guy is.

Probably the first guy with a nail in his eyebrow to ever shake Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan's hand.

Our exciting day in Liwa, part 1

Yesterday's journey into Liwa started out innocent enough. Our day was loosely planned with it's main goal being to see a lot of large sand dunes and visit the "real" desert. We decided that it was a perfect way to test out our friend Neil's test vehicle (he's the motoring guy at the paper): A large orange Hummer. But we got much more than we bargained for .... which is why this entry will be much larger. (That, and we're still waiting on some photos.) Here's part one with a little photo essay of our trip.

Our crazy Canadian friend Neil says, "GET IN!"


Maybe this should have been a sign of things to come... A random sculpture welcoming us to Liwa.



Strange sight number 2: We spot a glass case full of weird white chocolate sculptures at lunch


A view from the Liwa Hotel, the place we ate lunch


On the way to check out the dunes we spot 1/2 a sign..


To quote Hunter S. Thompson, "What the hell are we doing in the middle of the desert?"


Wes pretends he bought a Hummer


Random buildings in the middle of nowhere


Lots and lots of nothing








Random sight number 3: A castle tower. We wonder if there was once a putt-putt golf there...



On the way back we spot CAMELS! I hate to say it Cassie, but they were cooler than you. Needless to say, I now want a camel as a pet.

The camels say, "We have visitors!"

Itchy neck

Baby camel and mom with camel bra

At first I didn't know if we should pet them..

But I totally couldn't resist






Camels love close-ups




NEXT UP
Part 2: 'A date with royalty'