Bob Marley lives in Copenhagen

Unlike Elvis who really is dead, I am convinced that Bob - through karma and ying yang voodoo - has been reincarnated and goes by the name of Mr. Bushman. My Danish friends may have met him? I was recently in Copenhagen. My dad's health has been declining for the past few years and when he fell and broke his leg just before Christmas, it took a turn for the worse. Infection and other easy to fight off elements (in normal healthy bodies) eventually weakened him and on top of that, I believe he just gave up.

He passed away about 9-10 hours after I arrived to say goodbye. Whether he was aware of my presence I can't say - I think he responded slightly, and I told him I loved him. He slept peacefully and just continued on that journey to another place.

I had a few days before the funeral, so I decided to meet my girlfriend Josephine for a glass of wine and catch up on life. As I walked from the station down through the winding cobblestone streets towards the square we agreed to meet at, I passed an old man stuffed into a huge parka and scarves, with a knit hat barely covering his greying rasta dreads. All I could think was: there goes a very cold and old Bob Marley. Our eyes met and I couldn't help smile, he has such a glean and shine about him. As we walked past eachother he turned and said in perfect Danish: "hej hvor er du smuk" (hello you are beautiful). It's not every day you meet Bob and even more amazing is his ability to speak Danish, so I just started laughing. In all my sorrow and mourning, I needed to laugh. He came back towards me and as other people walked by us, he took my hands, which were freezing, it was after all 2 degrees! I was so giggly I forgot to speak Danish asking him in English where he was from. Bob was bilingual thank God and he said, I am Mr. Bushman and I am from Ethiopia. In that 10 minute chat, he never let go of my hands (I don't normally hold hands with strangers on the streets of Copenhagen but something compelled me to leave my cold hands in his warm grip). I just about told him my entire life story - well 90% of it perhaps, and he quoted me Isiah 54:17 - which I thought was weird.....

"no weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and this is their vindication from me, declares the LORD"

It has nothing to do with my life story, nor the death of my father. But I do believe it has to do with Mr. Bushman, who at 19 years of age was forced to leave his land and come to Denmark, a strange cold country, where he then became an architect. According to older bibles the verse refers to the land of Israel, but I suppose it could be Ethiopia....or maybe Bob Bushman Marley just got his scripture mixed up.

I felt oddly at peace and saved when I left him and I'm neither Catholic nor Jewish.

Desparate House Wife Seeks New Status!

The sentence was handed down this week. Oh I knew it was brewing of course, having alarm bells go off when Cisco HR asked me for my passport and two photos. I don't hand out my passport to just anyone but I figured they had a valid reason, since I severed my ties with them in September last year. No longer able to sponsor me, I was doomed. Aric handed me the passport back with a heavy hand. Shaking, I slowly opened it to the new visa page. There it was, black on pink (I think they use pink pages to dampen the shock) - HOUSEWIFE; NOT ALLOWED TO WORK!!

Oh the agony! How dare they throw me into the category with all the other wives who get their nails done and drive on the shoulder to get little Billy to school on time? Suddenly I'm cast from breadwinner to barefoot; from Director to dimwit; from corporate Goddess to cleaning Goddess (oh wait, I still have a maid...must I let her go now?)

I suppose on the flipside I can now, without guilt, ask for an allowance, go shopping for meaningless objects and designer clothes, meet other designated HWs for coffee at Starbucks and talk about the design of the new school uniforms. It brings a whole new perspective - this not having been a HW ever - after all, I am still raising two kids, a 3 year old (Slim...going on Fat) and Sam Henry, (6 months); they need their mom! Though they are both very well adjusted; Slim for example has no separation anxiety - I'm sure the whining and yelping when I leave the house is just him being happy that he's on his own, so he can chew various belongings - and Sam Henry, well she is already inviting Big Red Tomcat from across the alley, into our yard when we aren't around. So all in all they are very independent. I needn't worry about having had a career and abandoning them for the last few years.

The stack of unread literature on my night stand will also get more attention. Collecting dust for months, it is just a matter of days before I dive into "Dude, where is my country?" by Michael Moore; and the various autobiographies (authorized and non-authorized alike) by the latest celebrities and politicians. I'm especially keen on starting the "Dictatorships and Oppressive Regimes through the times", since I am now an eager student of Social Psychology, and study discrimination and microaggression on a weekly babsis.

So what is bringing me down? I'll tell you what! The status that comes with the words in the visa. It's a visa of non-identity, of dependence, of disrespect and of the scarlet letter on the chest. "HW" ! Hmmphh! ... I'm going to write the Sheikh. How would he like to be called His Highness House Sheikh? It's a disgrace. Housewives should not be degraded in an official document such as the passport! For the whole world to see when you enter a country's immigration points!

I'm going to rebel and protest. This week I'm starting a journey to get the status changed, starting with the economic department and ending in Ras Al Khaima free zone with an application for a new status: Pia Ault, license to TRADE. Since my company has been formed, and nearly launched, I consider it a relief that I can soon change from HW to CEO or MD or BOSS and again join the ranks of working mothers and wives allowed to work.

I'm an intelligent woman - get me out of here!

Cruise Control into 2012

It was the big moment we had waited for! The very special invite from Paramount and Tom Cruise, as promised last year, was sitting in my inbox and it was glowing I tell you!

December 14, Lorraine, Peter, Aric, Hannah and I went to the IMAX theatre in the mall and lined up with all the other extras who so expectantly came to get a glimpse, not of Tom, but of themselves ;-)

Halfway through the seat grabbing action movie, there it was...so fast that if you didn't know who to look for you missed it. Lorraine and I in the background for 3.8 seconds....oh what a glorious moment to have made it on the big screen in a major Hollywood flick!! Robin (who we now all hate!) has at least 8 seconds of face time. She has now moved back to Canada in fear of other extras retaliating and egging her house! Pinkie, who we all hated from day one (as she placed herself behind Tom in every goddang scene - come on lady - REALLY??) was barely on for 1 sec (and she was out of focus). Of course now I am going to get the DVD and really start nit-picking through the scenes of the Billionaires Ball, to see if I am in fact elsewhere in the scenes. To spend 3 days filing 10 minutes of the movie now seems over the top. Wonder why it took so long to get that kiss right?!?!

Life moves on with many prospects of upcoming extra jobs, but this writer has to prioritize. Started a Master's Degree in Social Psychology early December. One can never have too many degrees or too much knowledge. My MBA served me well in moving up the ladder and earnings. This degree will see me slide back down into the social gutter where all the good stuff is waiting to be questioned. As a Social Psychologist you get to ask all kinds of questions - like why do we scratch an itch? Why do people go for plastic surgery? Or my favorite one: Why do beer ads always have women in them? I can't wait to ask, ask, ask. Aidan and I are in a friendly competition for straight A's (I have them...he got 4 A's and a B this semester) :)

My Cisco life as we knew it, is over. After a painful and drawn out divorce, battling over who gets the stock and who gets the options...and whose fault was it anyway? we settled out of court with an amicable amount of $$. I promptly placed the funds in my offshore, tax sheltered, secret, far-away lair, for a rainy day. Now I shop less fashion, dye my hair with L'Oreal Creme Colour which saves me 650 dirhams every 6 months. I've decided to go natural...meaning chestnut brown (who knew after all these years that it was truly my real color?) And we eat home more often than out. I think I can do this belt tightening no problem.

What comes around goes around and with that I have been told the VPs who were being major a-holes, have been moved and fired respectively. My boss was demoted and hates life...what more can I want? I've decided to start my own consulting company, focusing on coaching, leadership development and youth programs. It should kick off in January, once I obtain the right trade license from the government. I'm taking odd projects until then - one is with GEMS (the leading private school system in Dubai) and UNESCO, to create a plan for training 10,000 school principals in Ghana, Kenya and India. I've domne round one and it is now down to UNESCO to do the next step - which may be hindered by funds cut from US, due to the Palestine becoming member state. Why can't politics keep out of philanthropics?

This year 2011, was odd and wonderful in every aspect. We travelled far to see Aidan and we are fortunate he is with us in Dubai for Christmas and New Years. Courtney and he broke up December 20...good timing! No further details available but I daresay we are pleased (as I'm sure are her parents). The boy is gungho about getting back into the dating game and is now all of a sudden aware of the many coed beauties on campus!

Slim and Sammie have been getting closer and now play all the time. It was such a great rescue animal and we are glad we have her, though she is cheeky! She is now so agile she can jump up on anything so we have to make sure things are put away in the kitchen (at night).

New Years eve brings us on the golfcourse on Yas Island, with Peter and Lorraine and then a late lunch/early dinner, before Cold Play concert on Marina Island in Abu Dhabi. VIP tickets for free, who can say no to that? It should be a nice ending to a quirky year.

Peace to all!

From Camel to Lexus 570 in 6.5 seconds

Her lips were hanging down in a sloppy frown and her hump was large, full and round! Her ears were long and sharp, not like Spock's, but rather more like a hairy Pyramid. The feet were large, flat and round!

Looking like that, it is quite amazing she beat out everyone else in the beauty pageant, but there you go! Shows you just how far a man is willing to go for his pride and joy. Entering her into a beauty competition was a huge risk!

Rams Almnhali probably didn't think that he would leave his house with a camel and return home with a Lexus. But that is just what happened when she took 1st place in the Al Ghayathi Camel Festival for pure-bred camels only!

update on my Lost Dutchman Trail.....sad news

For those of you who read my blog post a few days ago - tonight I see news that a small plane crashed between Mesa and Apache Junction - in the Superstition Mountains...they are rocks beautiful but lethal...it's a very sad story as 6 people are feared dead, 3 of them children.
I am shocked to read that this is where I hiked just a couple of months ago!!


http://news.yahoo.com/plane-6-aboard-crashes-east-phoenix-050229329.html

Two new Ault family members

My father-in-law calls me a refuge. I suppose that's better than being a refugee!?

I have a big heart, and I cannot stand seeing animals suffer. We recently welcomed Sammie, aka Sam Henry, aka Meever [pron. meeoar or something like that] aka Slinky, a small 7 wk old kitten I found at a gas station on the way to the Ranch. She looks like a slab of marble and is very cheeky! In 4 weeks she has doubled her size and weight and she is taking on Slim without fear! They have a love/hate/tease/chase/snuggle relationship and it makes for great entertainment!

Lola has also gone from adopted to full fledged Ault ownership. The Ranch gifted her to me in September (thank you Mark and Carrie :) and she has gained weight and nearly stopped her cribbing or wind sucking. I was told she was a former endurance race horse, but I can't make that fit, as she is an excellent dressage horse and show jumper. So you may see me in the London Olympics 2012 ;-) Or maybe just hacking around in the sand dunes!

What's next for the Aults? A goldfish?

Can I have the car keys, mom?

Well, I now have someone to run errands for me! I realized it today, when I was cooking and needed more mushrooms. Hunter passed his driving test the second time around....which is pretty standard here! The first driving test was a month ago and he failed within 5 minutes of starting the car! Apparently he didn't swerve enough around a pot-hole so the instructor grabbed the wheel and yelled at him in Arabic...clever!

Everyone fails the first time here, so the Sheikh can make money on the additional training lessons needed, in order to sign up for the test again! It's a conspiracy I'm convinced!

Getting Hunter's license is another hurdle because his father is being difficult. We paid around 4200 dirhams for the classes, incl driving & theory, test, book and an hour in a simulator. Except they never scheduled Hunter for the simulator. He has been practicing around the small roads in our neighborhood so the kid can drive, but he should get what he paid for. Aric asked for the 100 dirhams (simulator cost = $35) as a principle. They have been completely ignorant of this. So Aric said fine, I won't pay for the extra classes (440 dirhams) until you credit the 100. 'Oh but Sir, you have to pay for the simulator, it is part of the whole deal' ! Aric: 'Look-it - if you go to a supermarket and buy groceries, then walk out without them, do you still pay? Or if you drive through a gas station without filling up, do you pay for gas?' I paid for a product and service and didn't get it, so I want my money back for the part I didn't get' ..... the Saga continues and Hunter is without his license!

I cannot believe I have neglected my faithful readers for so long! Let me get this off my chest: not working regularly since February, because some VP figured he didn't need my team; then battling a big corporate entity for another three months, with lawyers slinging legal mud back and forth - sort of took it out of me! Drained is putting it lightly!!

But I prevailed and it is now all behind me! I went to Tempe to see Aidan for 5 days during parents weekend; it was fantastic. We went to the ASU game vs Oregon and ASU won big! Aidan had a lot of homework, he loves school now and truly cherishes his Industrial Design classes, even though it is demanding - but he says it is "his kind of learning" and I think he has come into his own.

So, when he studied, I went to explore. Apache Junction is not far from Tempe and there were mountains and nature which called my name. Hiking alone, under the noon sun, with no water and nobody else on the trail, is not recommended! The temp reached 102 and here I was just diddle daddling along looking at all the tall cactus (or is it cacti?) in any event, I soon realized that I could have ended up having a movie named after me, just like the guy in "127 hours". Imagine seeing a movie called "2.4 miles" about a woman who gets lost on a remote trail called "Lost Dutchman's Trail" - in the Superstitious Mountains? Leave it to the Dutch to get lost a hundred years ago... I mean the trail was signposted pretty well!

When I saw remains and bones from birds and small reptiles, I figured that was it for me....I had stumbled across a giant prehistoric predator who grabs small children on field trips. It was like a scene from "Picnic at Hanging Rock" - the sheer silence broken only by a whistling wind rushing through the rocks....it gave me goosebumps in the hot sun! I managed to drag myself back to the empty parking lot where my rental wreck was baking in the heat. If I had ever earned a cold beer it was now!
Earlier, down the road a ways, I had passed Goldmine City (how original) and they had a genuine saloon, with flapping doors just like a true western flick. How out of place can you be in a tank top, mini skirt and gym shoes? - I was hiking for crying out loud...well every Stetson hat turned and watched me and the bar got real quiet, you could hear a pin drop into a spittoon! Not even a spur jingled! I played it cool and said "howdy, can a thirsty gal get a cold beer?" in my best Arizonian twang. No sooner had I sat down when Madison Taylor introduced herself. And then the rest of the crowd joined in....Sam, Richard, Lonnie....well I be....within 30 minutes I was invited to get on one of Richard's Quarter horses and off we went, with Madison too, on a 2-hour hack in the dry river wash! Try riding western style in a mini skirt!!

During the last 15 minutes we galloped pretty long and fast and one of my reins dropped, (western style reins aren't connected - they are long leather straps on each side of the horse, connected only to the bit) so I stopped and reached down the horse's neck and head, to pick it back up; only as I leaned down, the horse's head came up and we head butted each other hard -I got a huge gash in my forehead. Unreal! Blood everywhere. Richard took his water bottle and poured the content all over my face and then tied a bandana around my head. That supported me for the rest of the ride back to the saloon, where we butterfly'ed it. I drove off to the emergency room, and got silicone glued up. Aidan laughed and we went out for sushi....it was a cracker of a day and I've made some great new friends!