I'm not in my typical blog mode: First, it's not morning. I'm not drinking coffee. I'm not lying in bed. It's 8pm, I'm drinking a Corona and lying on my couch...

About the corona. Well, I finally made it through all the paperwork and official letters and stamps (still need 'more stamps' to get a base parking pass- otherwise, I need to walk out all my alcohol purchases to my car in the public parking, which is rather far away). Now folks, I can purchase liquor on American soil here in Bahrain using American dollars and paying American prices. For alcohol, this is dirt cheap as I think all of us living abroad in the region know how expensive alcohol is to purchase- either in a club or in liquor stores, of which there are few to choose from.  To celebrate this new freedom I purchased a 6-pak of Corona and a 6-pak of Tecate (in cans). Guess I've got Mexico on my mind. Or Hawaii, as these beers I typically drink on island. 

I did get shot down in trying to get an APO box... Well, I'm not in the military after all, but I thought I'd try to play the emb. card. Failed. At least I have friends at the base that can sponsor my future purchases' deliveries... Ahem, you all know who you are.  I like to have my bases covered! Heh heh. 

I've been finally hitting my stride in the running game.  I've got 3 runs coming up the 1st 3 weekends of November and have been a bit worried about the 15k. Two nights ago I finally broke my Middle East curse! I ran 10k without dropping any steam! Can't believe it.  Tonight I celebrated by running at Al Hamala Beach Resort and putting in a decent 7k run. Also got to watch an incredible sunset as the orange flaming ball sank into the Gulf towards Saudi Arabia. Yes, I can see Saudi from my backyard sometimes...

Tomorrow night is our regular Thursday night fun-run/race with the Bahrain Road Runners club so this should be a breeze (3k only). Last weekend I ran in the Bahrain Marathon Relay and it kicked my ass.  I'm happy to see that the upcoming runs start early in the morning! Running in the middle of the day here- even as the temperatures have cooled to a steady mid-to-upper 80s- is just painful.  I did meet a great group of peeps though on the team that sponsored me: BIBF (Bahrain Institute of Banking & Finance).  They come from all over the world, like many working folks here.  I had a super great time and my network grows larger.

Halloween is coming up tomorrow. This is always my favorite American holiday, and it doubles as my dear father's birthday.  He's not of this plane of existence anymore, but I know he's watching over me- generally happy with my progress as a human being I hope...

For the theme this year, think the rabbit in Alice in Wonderland.  That's all I'm saying so far.  That's all I honestly know so far.  I spent Tuesday on a magical mystery tour for a variety of things and the results... well, we'll see.

Damn it's nice to throw back a Corona and sink into a state of relaxation! I managed to spend some time getting to know the Danish archaeological crew working on island for the dig season yesterday morning.  I got a tour of the current excavation site and will volunteer some time with them in the future.  Makes me feel like I'm back home.  I must say that archaeologists are just so very down to earth.  I mean, we work hard, we think too much, we put a lot into insights into the past, and we drink... Well, I don't know if they drink, yet... I mean, I've never met an archaeologist that doesn't drink honestly.  Maybe one of you who faithfully reads my column can prove me wrong, but I'm willing to bet that the only archs that don't drink are the ones who used to drink- too much... And with that, I'll get off this subject.  More coming up soon. I will have to be general in my descriptions as this is not my project (must remember this is NOT my project) so I'll mind my 'Ps' and 'Qs'.

In anticipation, though, of putting in some volunteer hours out in the field, I've been reading up on ancient Dilmun and Tylos (Bahrain).  The pre-history certainly does not disappoint.  Everything is so different from what I know about (Polynesian) archaeology, but it is like riding a bike- just in another country with a different geological background and cultural history with a different set of social customs... That's all...

So, if any of you are planning on a visit here, now is the time.  The weather is absolutely fabulous right now.  It's not too hot, and I don't even need air con on in the villa anymore at this point.  Hardly in the car as well.

signing off