Bye to B-01

So, it’s June. Weather, hot and humid. What's new, huh? There’s a new photo album to check out. There are a couple of pix from Lorin’s birthday dinner at Finz at Rotana Beach Hotel in Abu Dhabi. The rest of the pix are from this past weekend when we got together to say goodbye to their place in Block B-01. They should be getting settled into their new place as I’m writing this.
I drove up to Sharjah on Wednesday after work and did the usual lunch with David and then a nap. That evening we had dinner at home and then sat in the garden and drank and talked. Lorin had to work the next day. I slept very late on Thursday and then after coffee and brekkie David, Rainan and I took a load of things over to the new flat and ran by the Co-Op for a few groceries. Lorin was a bit late getting home from work and then she got caught up in this movie on Showtime and we didn’t leave to go out to dinner until about nine. We went to this “Sports Club” for dinner, an old Brit haunt that’s been there since the 50’s, I think. It wasn’t that crowded, but very noisy, and a great experience. There aren’t many places left like that in the UAE now. Everything is all glitz and glamour and overpriced. The menu was pretty limited so I went for the All-Day English Breakfast. I haven’t had one since I was in the UK for New Year’s when Jean cooked me one at her B&B. Fried eggs, potatoes, beans, mushrooms, grilled tomato, bacon, sausage and blood pudding, with a little toast on the side, was all washed down with a couple of pints of Amstel Lite. It was just what I needed.
On Friday the boys took another load over to the new flat and then made another run to the Co-Op. Lorin was busy cooking chili for the party that night. Pat arrived early, about 6 or so, and we chatted for a bit and then I went upstairs to wash and change T-shirts. It was a casual party. People started arriving after 7 and continued coming until well past 11 pm. It was a good party. I know many of the people there from all the other parties I’ve crashed on the campus. Wendy was there with her daughter, who was visiting the UAE for the first time. They’re from Alberta and she’s going to university there. Wendy works in the library at AUS and is good fun. She went with us last winter when we did the Big Bus trip around Dubai. Leslie from Wales was there. She’d just finished packing and was flying out about 2 am for the last time, so it was goodbye to Leslie. Larry from Canada was also there and he’s leaving for good in about a week’s time. That’s expat life in a nutshell. The party was lots of fun and sometime after midnight I helped Lorin clean up. Saturday, I slept late as I do, and then while I had coffee, Lorin made French toast, which is a “family” tradition for Saturday before I drive back to Abu Dhabi. Then I showered, dressed and packed up. We took a few last pictures, as you can see in the album, then I loaded up and car and drove home. On the way home I stopped as I was entering Abu Dhabi on the Musafah road to take a picture of the area that gave my blog its name. Just as you’re driving onto (or off of) the island city of Abu Dhabi there is Between Two Bridges. It is exactly what it says it is. There are two bridges connecting Abu Dhabi with the mainland, the Musafah bridge and the Maqta bridge, and this place is between those two bridges. Anyway, there’s the pic at the top of the blog now.

Below is a link to Steve's picture album of our Hannah. There are even a few pix of her old Mum and Daddy.
http://picasaweb.google.com/steveallisonauh/Hannah20062007

Here are a few links I've stored over the last week or so, you might want to give them a read.

http://www.salon.com/opinion/kamiya/2007/05/28/memorial_day/

Memorial Day by Gary Kamiya

http://www.salon.com/opinion/blumenthal/2007/05/31/policy/

America is not Bush by Sidney Blumenthal

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2007/05/conservatism_realistic_about_g.html

The Case for Conservatism by George Will

http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2007/06/01/rhetoric/index.html

Words in a time of War by Mark Danner