Sandstorms and Flu and Puppies oh my!

I love this video.  "Oh my Gowd!  Gowd nose...."

I completely slept through most of the sandstorm.  I got wacked with the flu-stick but bad (sorry I couldn't make it to your chalet, Sheikha Girl - I was looking forward to it)  and my only salvation were the 2 bottles of Nyquil that Stella brought me from the base (God Bless You, Stella!!!).  So...I'm sitting on my (then white) sofa with Desert Dawg (who takes care of me when I'm sick)  in an inebriated semi-coma when I turn my attention to the smoke rising from my kitchen.  What tha fuuuuuuuuuuu????  Did I leave something on the stove - again? (My mother has always warned me that I would start a fire someday.)  The wind was blowing and it sounded like Dorothy was out in the twistah.  Oh yeah, now I remember where I am... it's dust.  Dayam.  Time to get off the sofa and go wet down towels to stuff under the door frames (yeah, similar to what  you would do in a fire - as the dust is smoke-fine) and get out the duct tape to cover the sides of the window frames (because ab-so-lutely nothing in this country is built to any kind of code and there are gaping holes between the wall and the window frames).  Crap.  And I was enjoying my Nyquil buzz.

About the same time, The Romanian (who has received news from the North) sends me an SMS saying, "Big storm coming."  In Kuwait, you really don't know what kind of storm to expect.  Hail?  Rain?  Sand? Political?  Name that storm.

This one was the worst in about 8 years.  I remember being out in one way back before contractors came to Kuwait.  It was at night and we were driving somewhere; you couldn't see over the hood of the car (that's "bonnet" in Briddish).

Anyhoo, I went to sleep and slept through it.  I woke to a gnarley brown mess on my floor, my kitchen... I couldn't deal.  Called in my "Facilities Manager" (aka my maid) who swept in with a vengeance and cleaned everything.  She's like my (not so) White Tornado.  Between her and the Bengali street sweeper guy who I pay to clean my terrace, they were like a cleaning dynamo.

I HAD to go to Wafra yesterday.  I felt like poop warmed over, but I had to.  There was no other time to do it and I promised to take a donation down to K'sPATH shelter during their open day (which was great by the way) while the puppies were out and while we had the opportunity for photo ops.  I promised a bunch of people including The Man kids and 3 others.  I even asked my friend for the use of his car (thanks J that was so sweet of  you), but decided at the last minute that I didn't really need it, but I did really need it after all.  Bummer.  Anyways, too much planning for me to back out, so I went.

[I'm sorry, Pretty Girl.  I didn't mean to be so mean to your driver man.  I just have this fear of losing you kids out in the desert somewhere and it made me nuts that he wouldn't keep up with us. (I freaked out losing you at the US Embassy - this was worse.) Gotta keep the convoy in line of sight and youse were nowhere to be seen. I didn't know how the weather was going to be on the way either.  However, no excuse for losing my cool and saying some not-very-nice things.]

We all made it out there okay and got to do the photo op, eat some donated sweets by the Sweet Tooth Bakery:  Shout out!   They are amazing. I must have eaten half their tray (one is never too sick for sweets, is one?).  Yummy treats like red velvet cake balls, mini cupcakes, brownies, some kind of cheesecake squares. Place orders 24 hours in advance at 9738-4393 or e-mail danamihalache03@yahoo.com.  What a great idea to donate and promote!  You go, girl!

[Here's a follow-on marketing idea to all the small food businesses out there:  Donate and promote to business groups like the American Business Council, Association of the US Army, British Business Forum, Canadian (can't remember their name).  These groups have large memberships (100+) with representatives from large organizations in Kuwait.  If you did the same thing (provide a box or two along with your cards/fliers) at their monthly meetings, you would be sure to get referral business.  Write to me if you need contacts and/or assistance.]

My friend, FairyGirl, and Pretty Girl spent lots of time playing with the cats. FG, there is no way your husband is going to let you have another cat; think divorce papers...

We drove home and bulldozers/dump trucks were clearing the sand dunes off the highway (306 Wafra Road).  No joke - there was that much sand blown onto the highway.  They're building a whole new township down that road (Sabah Al-Ahmad Area) and I don't know how those people are going to live there and drive down that road.  It seems crazy to me to plunk a whole new town into the middle of the desert, but hey - they did it with Vegas.

I was in bed by 7pm last night and couldn't make it to work today.  I feel guilty missing work when I'm sick (unless I really hate my job - which is notatall the case these days).  I'm also missing the first day of a training course that I really need to be in (I'm lost in the new industry).  I'll probably go get nebulized tonight at IC (I should really just buy one of those machines and nebulize myself) and be all perky come tha mornin.

Oh - I had a terrible fever dream last night.  I lost my 90 year old great-aunt in the parking lot of Macy's and left her there to fend for herself;  then, I picked up our 2 family dogs and was trying to stuff them into a toy car; then, went home and was ignoring my mother because she was being neurotic about something/everything (I actually hid from her which I would never do - and I would never ignore her regardless of how neurotic she may be); and then I was cooking stew (which was yummy) only to discover that it was our 2 dogs.  What IS that???  I hate those dreams!  Pharmaceuticals?  Je ne sais pas, mon amis. 

And on a happier note...

It's almost time for Desert Girl 29th Birthday (again) countdown.  Oh how I love this time of the year.