It's official

x2.

Hello everyone,

Well it's official, x2.

First, Bahrain is the least interesting place I have every spent a significant amount of time in.  The diving sucks and there is really nothing to see.  I struggle to fill the two days a week I have off.  I tend to batten down the hatches Wed-Sun and not venture out much.  If I HAVE to, I will get out on Fri or Sat morning.

The problem with Wed-Sun is that we tend to get a lot of visitors from an adjacent country who treat where I live like a play ground.  The people in question are arrogant with a "me first" attitude.  Muslims from other place then where these people are from say the same thing; that they have a sense of entitlement and that they are better then Arabs from other countries.  It will be tough to grind out another 5 mos here.  I would never come back to the Middle East and don't like it here at all.  I'll just stick to my routine which mostly includes work and a simple after hours life style.

The second thing that is official is that the box of "Cohiba" cigars I bought a couple of months ago are counterfeits.  I had some reservations when I first saw them but a little research tells me that this box of cigars fails on all 15 indicators of authentic Cuban cigars.  Lesson learned (again!), if it seems to good to be true in IS to good to be true.

Well, at least I know that the Cubans I bought in Egypt are the real deal.

Thanksgiving is coming up.  I have an awful lot to be thankful for but will probably spend a quite day by myself in my flat.  I will be thinking of you all!

Cheers,
Michael

Happy 237th!

Hello All,

Time again for the annual trifecta.

Today, 10 Nov, is the birthday of my beloved United States Marine Corps.  237 years ago, the Marine Corps was founded and we promptly started recruiting at Tun Tavern in Philadelphia, PA.  I think the signing bonus back then was a free beer.

Here in Bahrain, we had our traditional birthday celebration, the Marine Corps Ball.  As far as MC balls go, it was decent.  A little over priced as always but nice to get together with the gang on a social basis.  I don't have my Dress Blues here so I wore the suit I had made a few months ago.

I think me and Uncle Ed are the only US Marines in the family.  Be sure to tell him "happy birthday".  He will probably pretend he doesn't know what you are talking about but he does and he will appreciate you mentioning it to him.

It is also Veterans' Day weekend.  This is a time when we remember all the veterans out there who made sacrifices (some of them the ultimate sacrifice) so that the rest of society could live under the umbrella of freedom that comes with being an American citizen.

My family has a rich history of military service with members of every generation raising their right hand and swearing to protect and defend the constitution of the United States.  I think everyone of us knows a veteran.  This is the weekend to reach out to them and thank them for their service.

So, to all the vets out there... thank you for all that you have done.  You can probably look back and remember so tough times.  You made it through them and you made a difference.

And the third element of this trifecta week?  My birthday.  Hard to believe that I will be 47.  My generation is now "our parents' age".  Remember when you were a kid and you parents were 40?  It seemed pretty old at the time.  It doesn't feel that old now that I am in my 40s, lol!  Time marches on.

Not much lined up for Nov.   I will be going to Oman at the end of the month.  I have never been there so it will be another new stamp in my passport.

That it for now.  Have a great week.

Michael

So, what's new in Bahrain?

Hell all,

In short, nothing.  So, if you are pressed for time you can stop reading now, LOL!

This was my first week back after my travels to Egypt, so catching up was the main effort for me at work.

It is hard to believe it is Nov already and I have passed the halfway point of my time here.  I can certainly understand why people take the 2 weeks of R&R around their mid-tour window.  I was lucky to be home in Sept but ready for a break.  Well, 7 more weeks or so and I will be home for Christmas.  After that, only 4 months left.

Historically, we are approaching period when things slow down for the those in the military.  We have 2 long weekends in Nov and the Marine Corps Birthday Ball.  Once Thanksgiving is over, everyone has the end of the year holidays in sight.  With so many people taking time off for Chirstmas, it is hard to get much done for those who are in the office during that time.

I don't have any travel planned for Nov but will be in the United Arab Emirates the second week of Dec just before I travel back to the states.  I've never been to the UAE so it will be a new stamp in my passport.

January is also shaping up to be busy with a couple of weeks of travel.  I will head back to Egypt and maybe back to UAE.

After years of my friends pestering me to get a Facebook acct, I created one around the time I left for Bahrain.  I must say, it IS a great way to stay in touch with everyone and have even reconnected with some people I have not heard from in over 25 years.  Thankfully, I don't have any friends who feel compelled to share with everyone that they had an Eskimo Pie for desert or something ridiculous like that.  

Well, like I said...not much to report from here so I suppose I will close before it gets down to me telling you what I had for desert yesterday.

Cheers,
Michael