PPD Bahrain...

There is so goodness in the atmosphere today that I want to write about it, yet my fingers are forcing me to diverge a bit.  I am compelled by the urge to just put 1 dig in about this sweet host country: PPD Bahrain...

You know what that stands for?  No, you don't yet.  Let me slowly lead up to it and perhaps you call can guess.  PISS POOR DRIVING BAHRAIN.  Yea, how's that for a simple, single clue??? Now I hate to generalize because it means nothing. I'll just say that drivers are reckless and rude on a more or less continual basis.  There is no 'island mentality' here like there is on my home island back in the South Seas where everybody is just chill (Oahu excluded, but the rest of the Hawaiian Island chain I think still follows this anthem).

Driving here is DEFENSIVE, for me anyway.  I'm not sure why everybody is so agitated behind the wheel here (there I go generalizing again), but it leads me to a lot of cussing.  People are so impatient.  WTF is up with impatient drivers in middle lane going into right lane and overtaking and swerving back into middle lane while you, defensive and alert driver, are in the fast lane wanting to get out of the way of a car barreling at you that you can see in your rear view mirror.  So, yes I am looking at my right-side mirror and see the large truck in the middle lane.  I see I have plenty of time to switch lanes. I signal and start my move and all of the sudden asshole driver in right lane impatiently passing truck is swerving back into middle lane and honking their horn at me for trying to complete a perfectly legal move.  This happens DAILY. People here are very impatient.  I start to wonder why a lot when I am stuck in traffic- which happens a lot. 

Another scenario: people driving piggy SUVs here (well, honestly not considered so 'piggy' over here as gasoline is so cheap, unlike Hawaii where I remember paying $5/gallon 4 years ago). Anyway, I guess I see a need for large SUVs here because drivers are so reckless that it's only tanks on the road that make one feel safe... It's not only SUVs either, I'm talking luxury cars also taking on speed bumps as if it's nothing.  They just don't care.  They then speed up behind me and I go slow before the upcoming speed bump and they are right there, on my ass.  Just like on the highway.  Right there on my ass as if it is going to get them anywhere.  This is where I would normally slow down if this happened in Hawaii (which was a rarity), but that's even too scary here because... well just because.  It's all about being logical, and I'm not about to play that game over here.

Always a crack-up for me (in my leased Nissan "Sunny"- a humble car by any means) is to watch in the rear-view mirror people going over speed bumps.  Again, peeps be in a hurry here- even while going over speed bumps.  All these piggy SUVs with limited suspension just BAM up and down.  Drivers just don't seem to care that they are f*cking up their cars suspension.  Whatever.  No skin off my back on that point.  That one simply amuses me because I know that I am indeed in no danger what-so-ever while watching this activity- which is more like a pasttime now that I drive so much. 

Granted, the speed bumps are nearly vertical here.  There usually is no warning that they are coming up.  No bright yellow lines. No signs.  Just some reflective dots (that are no longer reflective) sometimes.  So, as you might infer, I have a lot to think about behind the wheel here.  Oh wait, then there is another amusing scenario: The dude that is following you and trying to get parallel to you to simply be a leach. Then there is the hand signal like "hey, you want to pull over to the side and chat?" Perhaps they think I am talking to them as I am muttering under my breath (or aloud most likely) how shitty the drivers are here. 

It sounds amusing as I type this out, but it really pisses me off because the majority of the drivers on the road are shitty, AND are putting my life in danger because they are not aware.  I honestly don't know how some get their licenses to drive.  They must pay off the driving agency- which I live around the corner from here in A`ali.  This is the fun part because there are loads of student drivers going up and down the streets around my hood.  They are going v   e   r   y   slow.  I'm not sure what happens after that.  I can guess they receive their licenses and then morph into a speedster. 

Okay, I've had my say. I'm over it- for a few hours until I get behind the wheel again to head out to Starlight's place to  pick up my... wait for it... rescue kitty kat kitten!!! Yep, finally making the commitment.  It's been 6 years since Dr. Kolohe K Kitty Kat passed and I'm finally feline the need to get another feline friend (heh heh you like that?). Lynette (my downstairs neighbor) will co-parent with me as well.  Awww.

In other news, I ran the 1st of the 3-series Grand Prix Road Races held by my running club, the Bahrain Road Runners.  This morning's race was a 5K around the bridges of Muharraq Island.  Good fun and no back pain- what a speedball of delight that feels like let me say.  It wasn't too hot, and I had fabulous company.  Now, I've been watching Allie compete since I arrived in Bahrain, and she kicks ass.  So when she introduced me to Dawn this morning, I figured she would lead the pack as well.  Fortunately for me, she cruises- like me.  She was more like Yoda coaching me this morning, which was sweet.  Anyway, get this; she is a forensic anthropologist!  Like wow- one of my people! Two anthropologists meeting for the first time = guaranteed to be a great run because we gonna be shop-talking the entire time- which we indeed did.  So, I'm feeling grateful for the connection.  She also laughed at my jokes, which is pleasing too.

There were some serious peeps out this morning as well.  I mean some were wearing compression socks, etc.  I'm thinking to myself, 'it's only a 5k... compression socks- really?' I guess there is a reason for it, yet I'm not following.  There are always medical reasons, of course so there is that... I guess the weather is still considered hot for some.  I must be acclimating alright as I thought it was simply balmy and not at all overbearing with a wall of heat descending down onto me and penetrating my epidermis- like it was a month ago.  I've also decided that bringing along the Burt's Bees Mint foot massage cream was a brilliant move as I put some on in the am and put slippahs on and get to the event and put running shoes on and everything feeling minty fresh.  It also goes with the Dr. Bronner Peppermint Body Wash that I brought from Hawaii as well.  Another good move indeed as there is nowhere to buy it over here.  I brought loads of it too! 

Since I'm scattered and writing about whatever comes to mind at this point, I'm going to say that... No, no I'm not.  I'm not going there today.  In fact, this is it for today...

-signing off without spell-checking... yet again...