public service announcement

[aruan]

Check out Time Machiner. I've been struggling to remind myself about an April 2 appointment at the company's medical clinic (an AIDS test is standard with every job application in the UAE) at the inhuman hour of 10:10 a.m., which might explain all my troubles with it. This is a good method for all of us who roll into bed after shutting down Gmail and get out with their fingers poised to boot it back up.

Now if only the photo department would give me something to do after blowing past two of three page deadlines.

Comments

[science-vixen.livejournal.com]

Oh hey, cool.
I've missed the email people in the future option.
Eudora used to have it. I still need to locate the plugin for thunderbird.

For warning that I need to do something I use Google Calendar.
Google sends out free SMS (world wide, so also in de UAE) a specified time before the meeting is due.

If you really want to go nuts, and you have a windows based cell phone, you can use GooSync to synchronize your phone calendar with Google Calendar. One calendar is free.

[a-life-verbatim.livejournal.com]

that is a lovely idea, thanks for the link - I usually just email notes to myself so I don't forget.

How long are you staying in the UAE, and are you enjoying it so far? It is remarkably different than any other Western place, no matter how westernised they pretend to be. Have you been elsewhere in the Middle East yet?

[gjstruthseeker.livejournal.com]

I'm staying until my awesome job, bosses and coworkers will have me. Seriously, I love it here. Though day by day the heat grows a little more unbearable, but otherwise really besides the Arabic signage and certain quirks of service, it's not unlike any other proper Western city. I can wear anything I owned in the States, there is plenty of international food, etc. The biggest change is not being able to have a beer while we bowl or wine with dinner, which we do miss.

As to elsewhere in the Middle East, I'm not sure I'm interested. Oman maybe, but anywhere else would be dicey. There are plenty of places much closer to the UAE than Florida that I'd like to see - Egypt, China, Japan, Thailand, India, etc.

[gjstruthseeker.livejournal.com]

I'm no good at consolidating all my things to do, though I did buy a planner like I do every year at Barnes & Noble. Mostly, I rely on my hubby and Post-It notes scattered around my desk. Someday, I'll be a real grown-up!

unbearable heat

[science-vixen.livejournal.com]

Though day by day the heat grows a little more unbearable

*snirk* This makes me think of the time you were here, and halimede and me thought it was great weather to go to the beach, and you looked equipped for an Arctic expedition*.

*) some exaggeration may occur.

[science-vixen.livejournal.com]

I remember using that system as well. I always was worried that I might have misplaced a post-it that was important. Having post-its as 'external memory' makes me vulnerable for early onset dementia by vacuum-cleaner.

YMMV though.

Re: unbearable heat

[gjstruthseeker.livejournal.com]

The Netherlands are seriously shortchanged on swimming weather. What is the water, 65 degrees at the height of summer? That's a sure case of hypothermia is what that is. I had a fantastic time, but there aren't warm enough clothes in the world to make me do it again during the actual wintertime. :)

Re: unbearable heat

[science-vixen.livejournal.com]

I think the sea-temperature goes up to 71 or 72 Fahrenheit in a really warm summer yes. :)

For inland water we usually hope that it doesn't get too warm. Otherwise there is a chance of blue-green alga which really spoils the fun (and kills a lot of animals).

[a-life-verbatim.livejournal.com]

If you get a chance to, definitely try to visit Egypt. I had to live in the Middle East for a few years when I was younger because (almost) like you, my mother worked there as a freelance journalist for BBC and later Reuters.

It takes a while to get use to all the signage but they're usually always written in English as well. Also just the fact that you're Western is huge to them - in Arabic the word is "aganeb", and pretty much means they'll treat you like royalty.

[gjstruthseeker.livejournal.com]

Yep, all signage from street signs to tiny dessert shops have bilingual lettering. Though I don't know about being treated like royalty - retail and restaurant workers have to treat everyone like that or they get sent back home, but the taxi drivers have no qualms about trying to rip me off. I've learned to haggle though. :) Really though, on the whole everyone's been great here, I never get hassled for being a woman with or without my wedding ring, walking alone at night is no big deal as street crime is nonexistent - besides a lack of good non-Indian/Lebanese restaurants, I can't complain!

[a-life-verbatim.livejournal.com]

Why would you get hassled walking the streets alone at night? There are more people on the streets at night than during the day!

[gjstruthseeker.livejournal.com]

Well, walking on the street alone at night is not a big-city activity in my experience. I'm originally from Budapest and you do not walk alone at night there. New York only became a walking city within the past decade after Giuliani cleaned it up. And in my last town, Lakeland, the only people who walked were those who couldn't afford a car and were likely to take that problem out on you.

Actually, there won't be many more people out at night until the heat sets in in earnest.