It's officially outdoor weather...

The Dubai that tourists talk about, locals rave about and expats promise will come has arrived. The stores now have BBQ and patio furniture out, camping gear is front and center at every store and advertisements for different upcoming sporting events are featured in all the local newspapers and the Time Out magazine. I was doubtful I would ever say this out loud... but, I can see why people chose to live here.

Work is still not any better, at my most recent meeting I said something like, the actual situation has not improved at all, I have just adjusted my expectations both personally and professionally and am now more able to cope with the work environment. I'm sure that's just what every boss wants to hear.

I hit "the wall" for the first time ever while running this weekend. Our run was 32k and the whole thing was awful, I would like to blame that on the game of Ultimate Frisbee I played on Thursday afternoon, but I'm guessing the random mimosas with dinner did not help the situation either. Anyways, I was literally 400 meters from the end of the run and decided there was absolutely no way on the planet I was going to be able to finish and decided to get a taxi. I think the other runners thought I was crazy, but really, I could not move.

The rest of the weekend was basically what vacations are all about, only this is my real life. A friend and I sat and drank wine while we prepared food for a martini party that night, went out to this outdoor bar after the martini party and sat in the sand and talked, followed by a day at the beach, lunch at Lime Tree (which is this great cafe that I now go to at least once every weekend) and a BBQ at a friends house. The water has finally cooled to a reasonable temperature and we rented lounge chairs and umbrellas. We also sat around and planned our next week and weekend, which now includes a few trips to the gym, Mexican dinner, Thai massages and finally one of the Friday Brunches that are famous around here. So, yes, life is pretty rough around here!

I've all but given up on attaching pictures to this.... they keep saying it'll be all fixed in two weeks... like I said, an adjustment in expectations...