God I’m Bored (June)

I’m sure I’ve already used “Bored!” in one of my blog titles but there does seem to be a recurring theme.

As most of you will be aware (all of you, if you’ve been keeping up to date at least !) I’m coming home at the end of the month (or the beginning of the next month to be more precise) and I’m in the middle of delivering training to my lovely clients.

Trouble is my client decided that from now on (towards the end of May) everything would be in Arabic – this, in an Arabic speaking country, isn’t that much of a problem but unfortunately it has coincided with a heavy load on the translators because there are already some contractual requirements which required translation and it’s all come at once.  Consequently I’m as bored as a midget with a yoyo !

All I’ve done (or so it seems) in the last week is redesign forms so that they can be translated into Arabic before I can even approach my client to work through some training and then get forms signed……and I’m going to have to get a huge pile of forms signed before anyone will get paid over here (sadly, that won’t effect me being paid……touch wood)

Anyway, enough of work.  I’m amusing myself listening to Radio Le Mans on the internet as a very exciting race is unfolding.  Audi v Peugeot and after nearly 22 hours there’s less than a minute between the 1^st & 2^nd place cars…..and its’ threatening to rain, which may well put the cat amongst the pigeons.  It’s all with a touch of sadness as I’ve been there for the past 5 years (it started with a “once in a lifetime experience…..”) and all my friends are there and by the look of the pictures on Facebook, they’re all having a great time.  I haven’t even got a car any more (I can’t remember if I’ve told you that it’s been sold and has gone L - still J I’ve now got the opportunity to buy another car at some point !) so driving over there this year would have been a little difficult.  Still, there’s always next year.

I’ve just been in Dubai for the weekend.  I had interviews on Thursday and dinner with various friends from various places, new friends and old friends, brunches and curries (not as much AED as you’d think so I don’t want you to worry too much).  Dubai is famous for it’s brunches (for those of you that don’t know, essentially a hotel will offer unlimited food and drink for a set price over a fixed period – the difference in the price will dictate the standard of the food and the range of drink on offer.  It’s generally an excuse for people to eat and drink as much as they can possibly can between the hours of 12 and 4 – as well as stock piling as much as you can get away with before they close the bar at 4 !) and it would have been wrong of me to come to this area of the world and not to have a brunch.  In the end I gave in and went to one organised for someone’s birthday.  I was lucky because where we went was a very family oriented brunch and less of a complete p1ss-up (less of, but not……).

The weekend was lovely and I’m now planning to sit tight in the desert for the next three weeks, although I’ve just had a summons to Abu Dhabi for admin reasons which may need to be a drink on Thursday night with one of the bosses (who is just kicking off a 2 year job somewhere interesting in the UK….and might need some help….Who knows !)

Right, I’m off – it’s now raining at Le Mans and I might need to concentrate (on the race, not work obviously !)