6.06.2014

Bad Girl

I've been a very bad girl.  I have not been keeping up with my blogging, and I have no good excuse as to why.  Perhaps it's this weather... Honestly, some days I just stay inside and camp out underneath my air conditioner.  It all started about 2 months ago, innocently enough.  I started to notice that I didn't have cold water when I forgot to turn the water heater on 1/2hour before I took a shower... Then I remembered, when it gets hot, you keep your shut your hot water off and just use the cold water (which is warm by comparison of HOT)

About 3 weeks ago I decided it was time to move the furniture around in my living room- which is like a palace in itself.  Mainly because I wanted my loafing couch (yes, I do a bit of that here) to be directly underneath the air con.  As well, it's become too hot to run really.  Sometimes I run late at night, but it doesn't happen a lot honestly. So, I delved back into my yoga space.  Now I have a cool yoga space in the middle of my living room and all the furniture are on the sidelines!

The kitties have taken to the new layout quite nicely.  They have become especially attached to the yoga mats... For some reason, they love to lay on them- most especially when I am practicing... Often I come home to bits and pieces of yellow yoga mat all over the living room too. This is a new development.  I don't see how they can eat my yoga mat when I buy them perfectly good and expensive kitty kibble.  They must remember the phase they went through eating up the bathroom rugs. That is mostly Mistress Shaika Spot that endorses that activity with enthusiasm.  Master Sami Bey is just the 'monkey see, monkey do' type and goes right along with the mayhem.

I should have been blogging up to now because I've been doing a lot of interesting things.  Now I can't remember what it all was though so I will just leave you with some pictures as proof that I indeed have more pastimes than loafing.

Lemme set the scene for y`all: Saturday morning. In bed. With coffee. It's hot. Really, really hot. The air con is on. It's 9:15 am.  It's still very, very dark in my cave...

 Shaika Spot is turning into quite the strangely beautiful Dilmun kitty kat.  She is an awesome creature and I learn so much from her- mostly how to be wreckless and just go for it...
 She's looking very coquettish here. Don't trust this look...

 Lounge Lizards.  Here they both are deeply involved in their favorite 'pastime.'  Brings me to a story about my students: I ask them, "What is your favorite pastime?" Most of them reply that it is sleeping... Anyway, the kitties look fabulous doing it- don't you think? 
 Master Sami Bey is seriously easy on the eye.  He's an Adonis, an Adonis without balls that is... So, he's a bit humbled by all THAT.  He's adjusting quite nicely without them and one day, hopefully, will really become a lap cat.  He is already on his way.  He does like to cuddle up to me when I am practicing my yoga.  He really likes to attack my feet at this time as well.  So he's a bit of a yo-yo personality.  He could also be a serial killer...
 This is my gym here on the left. It's called Al Areen Spa. It's pure luxury.  I sometimes go there, and when I do it's usually straight to the pool...
 Here is a cemetary in A`ali at the main archaeological site there- the Royal Burial Mounds.  I take all visitors here first usually as it's in my hood. I love this place.  I love to walk the earth here.  I love the feeling that I am somehow connected to this place- to Dilmun of ancient times.  The Dilmun of the epic of Gilgamesh and Enki, etc. 
 Beautiful Arabic architecture here in A`ali.  Again, I really feel at home in my little village here.  It is a Shia village. 
 This building always fascinates me.  The striking colors, the graffiti, the pottery studios.  Oh yes, A`ali is famous on the island for the potters and their studios.  Another favorite place of mine to take visitors, and usually walk away with more pottery myself... Will be a bit difficult to get this stuff (presents peeps!) back to America I suppose...
 Here's a picture of me holding up the walls at the archaeological site with my favorite building in the background. 
 I took Shamika there as well. 
 Here is a kiln that, I believe, is still in use.  When you visit the pottery studios there, often the guys will take you around back and inside their workshops to check out the behind-the-scenes scenes.  These scenes usually consist of family members in various stages of artistic endeavors.  Everybody is so nice and friendly.
 Here is another one of those scenes.  Gwen and I were given a royal tour and found kitties!!! Mama kitty was busy cleaning up the crew.  I just went back here with my sister about 2 weeks ago and mama kitty is... wait for it... pregnant again!  Alas...
 Sometimes I try to do Arabic homework. Master Sami Bey usually takes this opportunity to cuddle with me, or with my book.  I tire of this affectionate behavior NEVER so generally give up studying Arabic quite early on... It's all because of Sami Bey that I cannot become fluent in Arabic!
 There are plenty of opportunities to polish myself up and go to embassy functions.  Here I am with my thrift store crop jacket covering my Dolce and Gabbana LBD and my Upper East Side (thank you NYC) thrift store Christian Dior kitten heels.  I do clean up nicely actually :)
 Shamika and I went cruising one day in search of a beach.  I believe I wrote about this, but here are the pictures.  We were so happy.  Fancy that that a New Yorker would fine me, an island girl, a beach... Well, I suppose NYC is an island as well so it takes one to know one!
 More lounging. It's just like riding a bicycle- you never forget how to relax on the beach.  This is probably the thing I miss most about living in Turkey- all the magnificent beaches you go to in summer.  Obviously I miss this with Hawaii as, so far in my travels, nothing beats Hawaiian beaches- NOTHING...
 Okay, this picture is outta order, but I don't feel like re-organizing it so we are back in A`ali village. I just liked this metal box...
 Back to the beach!  Shamika kicking it with her cool, casual vibe.  We've got quite the bohemian little set-up going on here on this day. The girl has loads of energy.  What a gem and I hope to see her in NYC this summer when I'm in DC in August and do a little side trip to the city that never sleeps...
 Yea, it'll do...
 So, all these pictures are of Amwaj.  It is an expensive part of the island to live on.  Good thing I have no problem freeloading onto their backyard beaches...
 Shiny, happy girls with a bronze glow (it will turn bronze after the redness fades- really)...
 Back to A`ali again, but this time with a bonafide purpose that doesn't involve buying pottery!  The Danish archaeologists called me up wanting me to get some measurements that they needed for a talk back home so I of course complied.  Dug out the compass, mechanical pencil and found myself a crew member and off we went!
 We measured the steps to this site that I am standing on.  We had around 11 measurements to take.  We were all alone among these ancient walls. 
 Sometimes I get to lounge at this villa and in this pool!  Starlight's place is really fun and homey to visit.  She has an international community of kitties that she has rescued, and is the godmother of both Shaika Spot and Master Sami Bey.  She actually bottle-bed Sami Bey- I watched her do it.  I tried to help but damn he was a tiny tot... I never knew that you had to stimulate their butts to make them poop when the mother gives up on trying... heh heh. Poop mistress... lol
 Spanky is the lone canine among all the felines that cohabitate at Starlight's villa.  He's a big boy.  A big goofy dog.  It's nice to know big, goofy dogs. 
 Back to A`ali...
 Imma just say that I don't know what's going on here.  I found the graffiti stencil really interesting though.  I'll tell y`all about it sometime...
 I'm not sure if I showed pictured of the Formula One (F1)  races that happen every year here in Bahrain.  We got free tickets thanks to a gentle man... Here I am assuming quite the compromising position that one never wants to be in here in the Middle East...
 Posers...
 The F1luxury boxes or central command... Our seats were to the left of this, at the really hairy curve.  We got to see a car flip over.  Freaky, yet thrilling...
 Here is said gentle man with the tickets. Sir Anthony worked the event.  He's awesome. 
 We do celebrations over here- all of them.  Here is some of the extended family over here.  This is our international Easter celebration.

 Many countries and nationalities are represented in our extended family melting pot.  Keith and Shamika talking tech talk.
Shamika and Benny chatting themselves us after a fantastic dinner.
We also do birthday celebrations.  Kamal cutting his own cake.



The crew all happy post dessert 
 Abdullah all happy after eating birthday cake.
 Saying goodbye to Benny- who works with my sister in Saudi Arabia.
Lynnette, our hostess, makes sure all party-goers go home with swag. We never leave empty-handed!



Okay, that takes you all up through April.  I'm burnt out on pictures so imma stop here and continue on next time with Oman and go from there. It's time to make some breakfast and then go to the thrift store and see what's in store for me there as it's been 2+ weeks since visiting!

over and out,

HollyMissBerry

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