Harried Potterisms

I read all the books.

First, because of the buzz. Not because I had an age appropriate child in the house. So many people were talking about them, and plenty of the folks in South Texas were saying it was all about witchcraft so they wouldn't let their kids read it.

Whenever someone says a book written for kids will rot their brains, I always want to see if I agree. I think kids need to read, just for reading's sake. It doesn't really matter what they read, just THAT they read. But I digress.

So I read the books. And I found them charming. Nothing to ruin a perfectly well brought up Christian child, just a rollicking good tale where I found myself rooting for the hero. By like any really good book, it built a fan base. And those fans have opinions. They announced the movie would be made.

So I saw the movie. Was it the book? No. Was it a good movie? Yes.

At this point, there were probably four of the series in print and I was like everyone else--standing in line for the next installment. JK Rowling made money off me too.

Each successive book became longer and more intricate and each movie had more and more territory to cover. People became more dismissive of the movies and pounded the books saying they were superior.

People complained when the Dumbledore character from the first few movies changed. The actor died, and people complained that he had to be recast. Personally, I think
Michael Gambon did a fine job as Dumbledore.

What I never understood was the filmakers need to remove Voldemort's nose. I understand it made him appear 'snakelike' and more evil but that left me cold. Really? Noseless?

I have friends who feel like the story arc was 'rushed' somewhat and the Harry Potter with Dumbledore scenes were more deus ex machina than plot possibility. I understand the need for the mentor dying so the protagonist can stand on his own and fight the fight. But bringing back Dumbledore as advisor is a lot like having Obi Wan talk to Luke in his head. It takes a little getting used to.

The final installment in the story had to be broken into two movies. With the heft of that volume, it doesn't surprise me at all. Shoot, they made the Lord of the Rings into three movies and no one whined about that.

Here's what I think: the books were great. The movies were exceptional. They weren't the books by any stretch of the imagination and you did lose something, but they were good movies. The actors grew up making those movies and they did a great job growing up as characters on screen. The special effects were phenomenal and more and more intricate as the movies got darker and had more evil at play.

The final denouement between Harry and Voldemort was good. The last battle was big and all encompassing. There were unexpected heroes and heroines. I didn't cry, but I have friends who did.

I also like the 'years later' epilogue portion of the movie. I like knowing that Hogwarts would be rebuilt and that life will go on. They fought the good fight and now they get to have normal lives. We Muggles just get to peek through the window into their world.

I wonder what JK Rowling is doing now? Is she writing another book? I expect she never has to work another day in her life, but I have to report that I like the way her mind works. I hope she's got something else on the fire. It will give me something to look forward to.

--Sandee Wagner

Two Kinds of People

That's one of those statements that always is followed by an ellipsis. There are two kinds of people in this world...

I'm big on the ellipsis and this morning I decided to enter the realms of those who try to quantify what two types populate my space.

The two kinds of people in this world are: people who can use superglue and people who only end up gluing their fingers together.

Care to guess which group I fall into? That's right. I've spent the past hour and a half alternately soaking my hands (notice, not one but both!) in fingernail polish remover and hot soapy water. I have a couple of skin tears and a roughness that's going to require a file to wear away, but I can bend all my fingers now, so it's an improvement.

You should have seen me trying to get the fingernail polish bottle open when both of my hands were glued into claws. Gads. What a life I lead.

And obviously, as my 'people who do and don't' example states, the two items I wanted glued together are not adhered. Oh no. After gluing the floor, my fingers and everything else, the two items are blissfully separate. Thus, my luck and defined world.

There are two kinds of people in this world, people who will laugh at me and mock me, and people who, at one time or another, have glued their own fingers together.

--Sandee Wagner

A Day At The Beach

We went to the beach this morning to paddle with friends. We got up early and got to the beach at 0720.

The paddle club facility is located within view of the Burj Al Arab hotel.

By the time we left the beach at 0930, it was over 100 degrees, but when we first got there, it was pleasant. There was a light breeze off the water. The coast is shallow here, so the surf is light and the water is warm year round.

I did put my toes into the Persian Gulf to feel the temperature of the water. Like bathwater. I sat on the beach and visited with a gal from South Africa while her husband taught DH to paddle an ocean kayak.

The kayaks are like the OC-1's without an outrigger/ama. They are very tippy and DH went into the drink several times, but managed to right the boat and get back in, each time he hulied. The way they are paddled is completely different from outrigger canoeing. They use a two bladed paddle, and the pull is slightly different, especially at the wrist break. Like what we're used to, you have to sit up very straight and use your core, twisting with the paddle.

Like any other sport, ocean paddling has some safety rules and requirements. This club maintains a training program that new paddlers have to complete before they are allowed to use club equipment.

The next training class won't begin until September so we'll be dependent on the kindness of strangers--or we'll have to buy our own boat. Apparently, some of the leaving expats sell off their canoes, so there's a good chance of buying a used boat from a club member.

It's quite a schlep out to the paddling club beach, but I think we're going to enjoy the activity. The beach is pretty empty during the summertime (it's the off season for Dubai), but gets pretty busy during the wintertime.

I'm really looking forward to getting out. I'm hoping to see some of the well dressed Muslim bathers. I saw this in the mall sporting goods store yesterday and had to snap a photo. If this suit is UV A & B resistant, I'm thinking a pasty redhead like myself should invest in one!

If we end up paddling together, I'll need to be tougher so I can stay out as long as DH wants to haul me around. Lightweight coverage seems like a good idea.

--Sandee Wagner

Paddles Up!

Some of you know that during our 'overseas tour' to Southern California with the USMC, DH and I took up outrigger canoeing with the SCORA club aboard Camp Pendleton--Kupa'a Mau.

We LOVED it! Made some great lifelong friends and enjoyed hitting the ocean with a boat full of friends several times per week. DH even paddled from Catalina Island back to the mainland in one of the 9 Man competitions. It was a highlight of his racing career. The paddlers were a gregarious, fun group and we miss them every day.

One of DH's coworkers mentioned that he saw a dragon boat in the marina full of paddlers. This has been like seeing the Loch Ness monster from what I can tell. Apparently, it's the off season. The boats have disappeared and so have the paddlers within them. So, with the patience of the Bigfoot hunters, we lie in wait.

DH went to a meeting and chatted up a total stranger sitting next to him. This guy mentioned that another coworker paddled with a club. When DH asked who? he pointed right across the table. DH was able to strike up a conversation and find out the scoop. This guy paddles a surf ski with a club full of enthusiasts. He invited us to meet him this weekend and give it a try. We can NOT wait!

We had another friend who tried these in Australia and she warned that they are super tippy! DH has dumped me out of every boat I've ever climbed in with him. He says it's my fault, but when he's not in the boat with me, I don't get thrown into the water...

We're going to try it this Saturday. The club has rack storage, but all the surf skis are individually owned, so we'll be using this guy's boat or borrowing. I can't wait to try it. I'm hopeful that if we get in touch with this group, we can find the elusive dragonboat team and do some group paddling too.

--Sandee Wagner

The Heat Is On

Even though it's 111 degrees outside, we still wanted to grill. It's how you cook in the summer, right? So we made a foray down to Ace Hardware to buy a backyard grill.

First discussion was charcoal or gas. We've had gas in the past, because I'm way to lazy to always be buying charcoal briquets. I even switched from propane tanks to having the grill plumbed to the natural gas line. And that was my problem. Because the last grill was built in, we had to leave it behind when we sold the house.

Although DH was willing to do the briquet nonsense to improve the taste of the end product, we are now in a place where wood is scarce. And since charcoal is a byproduct of wood, charcoal is expensive too. But gas is cheap here. The cheapest I've seen. So gas grill it is.

We found a sale on one that appeared stout and good quality. Then I called the gas guys. There is no pipeline delivery of natural gas for home cooking. Each house has a tank (and some, a spare.) You call them when it's empty and they bring out a filled bottle. The deposit on the tanks is high, but the charge is not expensive at all. Since they provided the two bottles for the house, I called and arranged one for the grill. They were out to the house within two hours of the phone call and we were 'cookin' with gas'. I think the guy who hooked it up liked the grill too.

I know DH liked the grill. He warmed it up to burn off the stuff coating the grill for shipping. Then oiled the racks and threw dinner on the grill. We had a couple of hamburger patties, grilled onions and some Italian sausages.

It was wonderful--excellent tasting. It was hot out, and grilling was hotter. But oh, yum, it was tremendous.

--Sandee Wagner

Ace is the Place

Dubai is a shopping mecca. All the western franchises are represented here. I can buy Buger King, KFC, and Papa John's. There's one of everything and two of some things.

On Sunday, we drove a ways down to the largest Ace Hardware store in town. I had my heart set on a barbecue grill. It's only 111 degrees outside, so why not fire one up? We needed to decide the age old question: charcoal or gas, and then pick out one that we could transport, assemble and use.

The Ace Hardware store that we went to looked so much like the ones at home, it almost made me tear up. Except for one thing.

The outdoor furniture section.
Don't get me wrong. There's a lot of the traditional looking chaise lounges for sunbathing, and a lot of that new plastic woven wicker-looking furniture. Lots of outdoor seating areas. And canopies. It's a desert, so shade is a big deal in the 'outdoor living' arena. But they also had a 'traditional' outdoor shade and seating area.

DH sat in it and said it was 'surprisingly uncomfortable'. The kicker on this canopy and seating area is that the posts holding up that tent were huge tubular steel pipes. I would have needed both hands to wrap around the frame. The fabric was normal too, not the 'high tech' outdoor stuff that repels water and doesn't mildew. You can't see them from this picture, but the corner posts were tied up with tassels that were fringed and beaded and intricate. More like interior draperies than outdoor stuff.

I didn't bother to figure out what this would cost in USD. I'm not really in the market for an outdoor room. But if I decide I need one, Ace is the Place!

--Sandee Wagner

Household Goods Update

Up until now, I've been rattling around a mostly empty house. We have a basic rental kit (sofa, chair, coffee table, lamp, bed, chest and two end tables) but the house is a cavernous, echoing emptiness.

Night before last, I broke down. It finally got to me. I cried and when I prayed for strength, I included a plea to get my stuff. God is pretty busy. I don't generally waste his time with stuff like that. I want my family and friends safe and healthy. I want God to bring peace to troubled areas. My container of household goods was not the center of my prayers. Until my sloppy crying jag.

I apologized in advance for wasting His time, then asked Him to put in a good word to get me my stuff. I'd like to feather my nest.

After saying the prayer, I felt better. I usually do when I put my troubles into an expert's hands.

Yesterday, the internet got fixed. DH got through and informed me that the container was packed and either at the port awaiting a ship out of Tunisia, or actually on a ship on the way to Dubai.

Hallelujah!

So, the countdown is on. It's cleared Tunisian customs. It's all down to the carrier's schedule and the UAE's inbound customs. THEN I can get my furniture and set up my home.

It cannot come soon enough. Thank you God.

--Sandee Wagner

Timekeeping in the new millennium

The thirtieth wedding anniversary is traditionally the 'pearl' anniversary according to Hallmark cards and other folks who want to sell you stuff. When my DH and I were coming up on that milestone a couple years ago, I became fixated on getting something pearl to celebrate thirty years of marital bliss and/or acceptance.

After scanning the jewelers and realizing that I already owned a string of very nice pearls, I saw watches with pearl faces and said, "that's it!" Then I drug my darling husband through jewelry store after jewelry store looking for matching watches with pearl faces.

What you probably already know, but I didn't know at the time, is that you can find a LOT of female watches with pearl faces, but it's a little more rare to find the man's watch set up the same.

We eventually found a set of matching wrist watches with mother of pearl faces and the bonus? Self winding. I was in alt! Never to buy a battery again! And it had the date and day of the week in a tiny window. Very swank. Very shiny.

It took no more than a couple months to realize my problem. My watch was always fast. At least 15 minutes fast after being reset within the past 48 hours. A nice watch purchased from a fine jewelry store does have a warranty. When I took it back, they assured me that this was not totally unusual and sent it back to the manufacturer for an adjustment.

That cut the advancing rate of time in about half.

I've been wearing this self winding watch for a couple of years now. Whenever someone asks me the time of day, I say, "somewhere around XX:XX but I'm usually fast". I look at my wrist and realize I'll make any appointment. I end up resetting this watch once or twice a week to keep the space time continuum from collapsing around me.

When I got up this morning, I realized it's more than forty minutes fast today. That's a significant chunk of time. Time to reset the little darling again. I'm beginning to wonder if it's me. Am I so spastic that the internal mechanism is just winding and winding it's little clockwork heart out?

I was so taken with this watch when I purchased it. It symbolized the great love of my life and it was truly the finest timekeeping device I've ever owned (if you don't count the Movado that fell off a truck that my BIL gave me). I was charmed by it. It made me smile when it caught my eye.

Now, I strain to see the tiny date in the tiny window. Half the time when I reset the watch, I screw up the date and the day of the week shows in Japanese or something foreign. Then it's really hard to get back in English.

Why is it that by the time I could afford a nice timepiece, my eyes were shot and I can't really see it well?

Most kids don't wear watches anymore. They have cell phones and when you ask them the time, they whip out their phone and give you the EXACT time. Synchronized by satellite. Timekeeping in the new millennium is simple that way. Being spastic doesn't affect it.

--Sandee Wagner

Glitterati

So far, there are a LOT of things I like about Dubai. I feel the need to share some of the most fascinating ones with you. If you know me, then you know I like shiny things, glittering stuff and bejeweled ornaments. I won't apologize for my tacky taste. It is what it is...

Imagine my surprise when I left The Dubai Mall at night and saw all the palm trees wrapped in fairy lights! They twist them around the trunk really close together and then wrap the bottom leaves of the palm all the way to the tips. Then those branches sway in the breeze. I can't tell you just how pretty this is... my pictures do not do it justice.

I took one shot with the flash and one shot without, but it's a $60 camera, so this is what you get. I wanted to be able to show you how the whole street looked lined with these gorgeous palms all lit up at night. It's just lovely. And it's not holiday related, it's an all year long decoration!

In Dubai, they do things BIG.
I took this picture of DH standing next to a potted palm inside the Dubai Mall. These were surrounding an atrium on two levels. I'm pretty sure the pots were plastic, but you can see how tall they are when you consider he's 6 feet tall.

Figure one of the ginormous pots every ten yards in a giant half circle and you get the impact they made on the upper deck. There was a similar number of them on the lower, fountain level.

These faux potted palms surround the Oasis Fountain Waterfall and WaterFront Atrium. It's pretty impressive.

As you can see, it's about three stories tall. The water cascades down a slanted and curved wall that perfectly simulates a waterfall. Spaced across the face of this fountain are stainless steel divers caught in mid-swandive. Each of the divers is nearly life sized. And there are two of these walls of water. You can just barely see the second one peeking out the back of this photo. Plus, you can see how those giant potted palms are arced around the whole area.

Big. Shiny. Impressive.

--Sandee Wagner