Blissful....NOT!

Guess what?! My Bliss has not been found.

Let me clarify, my Arabian Mocha Sanani has not been found.

As a matter of fact the SOB's at Starbucks have discontinued the brand.

Can you fricken believe that?!  And all of the reviews on Starbucks.com are excellent!

How can they do that to me?!
And why can't I add my two cents on the website?

http://www.starbucksstore.com/products/shprodde.asp?SKU=312969

I'm crushed!  And I'm not buying my beans at Starbucks anymore.

This SUCKS!

And, of course, no one in the UAE even knows that its been discontinued.

They keep telling me "It will come next week M'am".

BAH!

They need to look at their own website or communicate the fact that there will be no more Arabian Mocha Sanani for anyone.  Anywhere.

Fine.

I'm just going over to the dark side.  I've found another coffee that I like, I tried it for the first time today.  AND it's from Caribou Coffee.

Take that Starbucks!

I now love Caribou's Mocha Java.  And guess what? It too is made from Yemen beans.

http://www.cariboucoffee.com/asp/shop/detail.asp?c=1&p=75

So now I can have a proper Blissful experience again.

BLISS!

Ahhhhh....

Today is a Prolific Blog Day

I can't believe that I'm writing a 3rd entry today.

But I can't help myself - I've been thinking...

About coffee...

Ahhh coffee...

My favorite right now is Arabian Mocha Sanani.

It's grown in Yemen.

And of course it seems like the whole of Dubai is out of it.

I like it - so it's not available.

Kinda like last year in Dubai when you couldn't buy chicken for the whole of the summer.

I'm serious - no chicken for about 3 months.

It's a supply chain nightmare.

So now I'm trying something different because the best anyone can tell me at Starbucks is:

"Maybe next month ma'am, we get it".

They have no idea if it's going to be ordered again, if it's discontinued, or if it's on its way.

Sooooo.......we'll see - I can tell you this if I find it again I'm buying as many bags as I can get my hot little hands on and freezing them.

The other reason I decided to write again is dinner.

Tonight.

Indian food.  Yuck.

We're meeting my Father-in-law and about 10 other relatives at an Indian restaurant.

Which is fine - I like my FiL, but I am not a big fan of Indian food.

So I'm going to mix me a toddy.

A nice single malt toddy.

Put it in a "to go" coffee receptacle.

Pick the hubby up from the airport (he's in Kuwait).

Let him drive while I have a wee tipple.

And a hamburger.

ohhh that sounds really yummy.

Or a Corona and a burger - oh! oh! oh!

That sounds better than the single malt, an ice cold Corona and a burger.

I know, I know, a beer over single malt is heresy.  But I swear it's only this once that it sounds better - after all it's 3pm and 116F outside.

Yes I said 116F.

It's HOT.

I actually had the ice cold Corona/hamburger combo in Thailand a few times.

It was VERY tastee!

Too bad I can't do that here.

That's O.K. - a single malt is still very tastee.

But I'd rather pair that with a fat cigar, having girl talk with SP.

Which I will be doing in about 5 weeks when I'm in the US!!!

AMERICA, AMERICA, AMERICA!

I cannot wait!

I'm a bad, bad, girl...

I'm not writing as much as I was before my vacation.

I think I'm still coasting on my vacation high...

That's how good my vacation was - I'm still feeling the benefit.

btw - Thailand has excellent coffee.

I had a ice Thai coffee everyday I was there - sometimes twice a day.

The vendors on the street use sweetened condensed milk in the coffee so it no longer tastes like coffee but some kind of sweet candy drink.

The hotel made it more like I like it - strong and not sweet.

Bliss....

The Humidity, Oh the Humidity!

Yep it's really humid here...

And my hair is loving it!!!

It's full and bouncy with a bit of wave.

And I'm liking it...

My hair does not like it when there is no humidity in the air, I look like some kind of homeless reject.

It turns dull, lank, and oily and I can't do anything with it no matter how hard I try.

So today I'm loving my hair.

I feel prity!  Like model...cheerleader...

Prity.

Off to get my coffee now...

Bliss. Ahhhhh.

Yummy!

We went to Ruth Chris last night and it was soooo very good!

http://www.ruthschris.com/Steak-House/111126/Dubai

The steak was incredible.

Ahhh foood.

We also met the manager's of the restaurant - one from Austin the other was from New Orleans.

New Orleans is to food what Italy is to Coffee.

When we move home one of the first trips we're taking is going to be to New Orlelans.

Port of Call....

http://portofcallnola.com/

Yum.

Brunch at Brennan's

http://www.brennansneworleans.com/

Yum.

Shrimp Etouffee.

Double Yum.

They started a ladies night at Ruth Chris - oh yeah baby!

I can't wait to go!

Now we're off for Coffee and Croissant at The. French. Bakery.

How could life get any better than this?!

Hmmm...I could be doing all this in America...

Bliss

That is what my new religion is called.


Bliss.


Because that is what I feel when I take that first sip.


Bliss.

The French

I'm not a big fan of French food - but I have to say their baked goods are very, very good.

A French bakery just opened up near us and we checked it out the day before yesterday.

It's owned by a real French Pastry Chef.

Who uses butter.

Real butter.

Butter.

And you all know - everything tastes better with butter.

I had an almond croissant.

And I swear to you that it tasted like it had been soaked in butter then flash fried.

In butter.

Then as an after thought they sprinkled a few almond slivers and threw some powdered sugar on top.

Can I just say it was soooo good that I'm salivating for one right now just telling you about it.

Who knew a croissant could taste so good.

Their Coffee wasn't half bad either - I'm thinking of holding weekend services there.

Still don't have a name for my Coffee based religion...

The only thing that could have made the cafe better was if they had an Italian making the Coffee.

A French Pastry Chef and an Italian Barista.

That my friends is my idea of heaven.

Coffee

Yes, I know.

Again with the coffee.

Or as I like to call it...the elixir of life.

I'm thinking of creating my own religion that centers around Coffee (now that I've elevated it to a religion it MUST be capitalized). 

I'll have special ceremonies and rituals that one must follow. 

Of course there will be varying degrees of worship for the followers.  You can't expect one who is new to Coffee to be able to handle it like one who has been worshiping at the alter of Kona for most of their lives.

And the holiest of all holy places will be Italy.

It is impossible to obtain a bad cup of Coffee in Italy - not even from a vending machine.

And so the Holy Land it must be.

My husband even drinks Coffee in Italy.  And he is not a Coffee drinker.

I know it's tough to maintain a marriage when one is a devoted follower of Coffee and the other isn't.  It's almost heresy.

But I love him, so I guess I can overlook this flaw and keep him.

After all, he does drink Coffee when he's in the Holy Land. 

So there is hope.

But what shall I call this new religion?  Coftopia? Exprester, (that's part espresso and part filter)? Bliss?

Come my fellow Coffee followers, come to me! 

Let us gather round at 10am each morning, grab your cup of Coffee, and a pastry if you so choose.

Come, indulge yourself, wallow in the bliss of the first sip, of the first taste of that wonderful elixir on your tongue.

Inhale the fragrant Coffee aroma, and feel the worries of your life just slip away.

Ahhh Coffee...

I'm obsessed.

With Coffee.

With Wallowing.

With my comfortable American King Bed.

With my Down Pillows, from America, on my American King Bed.

With my Husband.

My poor husband, he came last on the list. 

He may be last on that short list, but he's not least, and he understands. 

He knows I love him most of all...

He knows I'm obsessed with wallowing on Friday mornings and coffee.

And he loves me.  So he indulges me.

It also gives him a chance to work, surf the net, and watch TV programs I don't like...

Guess What?!

Noooo not Chicken Butt!

It's almost Friday.

I didn't get to wallow last Friday because we took our housemaid to the airport.

But I did wallow on Saturday - but it's not the same.

And I felt guilty because my husband was going out of town. 

But this Friday, THIS Friday I'm going to wallow.

Wallow, Wallow, Wallow!

Ahhhh.....

COFFEE, I must have COFFEE

My housemaid is on vacation.

Yes, I have a housemaid.

No, we're not rich.

A housemaid is about the only cheap thing here in Dubai.

And we have a housemaid to take care of the animals when we are out of town because there are no good kennels.  Ones that we trust anyway.

She actually saves us money because we don't eat out nearly as much when she's home.

Anyway I totally digress.

She's on vacation for a month and therefore I have no coffee.

Yes I know I can fix it myself - after all I'm the one who taught her how to make coffee.

But if you remember...I'm so not a morning person.

And even though coffee from home is better than coffee out (unless you're in Italy of course) I just can't seem to get up the extra 20 minutes earlier to make it.

Soooo I have to go and get it from Starbucks. 

And I have to say, as much as it pains me, my housemaid makes coffee way better than the little guy at Starbucks.  And I do mean little - he's about an inch or so shorter than me.

So I'm sitting here, no coffee, psyching myself up to walk down to get me one.

I really need my coffee.  We all know how I get when I don't have one.

Grumpy.

So here goes.

Coffee...

Early Morning

I had to get up early today.
My husband had to go to an early meeting in Abu Dhabi and since we share a car that meant that I had to get up and be ready to get out of the house by 6:30am.

So I was at work at 7am. Which isn't too early - I try to be at work by 7:30 due to parking and due to the fact I like to get off at 4:30.

Anyway, I'm drinking my coffe, I've had my breakfast, the brids are singing outside, and I'm ready to take a nap on my desk.

Hopefully I'll perk up after my 2nd cup of coffee.

I wore one of my new dresses today - I like it!

I feel pretty, oh so pretty, I feel pretty and witty and gaaaayyy!

I found a quote I like:

"I'm selfish, impatient, and a little insecure. I make mistakes. I am out of control, and at times hard to handle, but if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best." - Marilyn Monroe

This is so true.

Later Gator.

Bliss

Can I just say I spent the evening experiencing bliss?

One of my good friends gave me a massage / facial for my birthday.

And I went last night to enjoy my gift, and it was pure bliss.

I feel asleep about 3 times - and woke myself up snoring...

Or maybe that was Gabi because I'm a delicate flower, and everyone knows delicate flowers don't snore.

She must have snuck into the massage room.

From our house.

All by herself.

Man I have a smart dog!

This morning I'm all nice and loose and I feel ggggoooodddd.

Drinking my coffee. 

My tastee coffee.

The only way this morning would be better is if I didn't have to work.

And I was either wallowing in my bed (which as you all know I love to do).

Or

If I were at a cafe with my husband, with a small knosh and my coffee.

The morning is still pretty good, even if I am at work.

Bliss.

Warm and Fuzzy

When I woke up this morning it was like a dream.  A loud obnoxious dream.

The phone was ringing - my sweet husband with my wake up call.

And the alarm was beeping.  Beep, beep, beep - Argh!  They should make an alarm that rubs your back and shakes you gently until you wake up.

And I thought I was dreaming it all.  Which I was (dreaming) but not about the noise.  No I was dreaming something about my legs disintegrating.  Weird, very weird.

But after I smacked off the alarm (with my eyes shut of course) and answered the phone I had a nice chat with my husband.

Who is in the land of milk and honey, eating at my favorite places (Goode Company) and shopping in my favorite mall (Galleria). 

And while we were chatting I was rubbing the dog's belly, wallowing in my sheets. 

Enjoying my bed.

Man I love my bed.

Ick

It's Sunday - which is Monday.

I'm not a fan of Mondays or Sundays when they masquerade as Mondays. 

It's the first day of the work week - in a job where we get nasty grams. 

Why can't people just be nice?  What a bad start to the day.

I have his ick feeling in my stomach because the first thing I read this morning was a you suck and didn't do your job so we're not going to pay you e-mail.

Never mind that I can prove we did our job.  Never mind that it's the lawyer's fault the client got into trouble.  I'll never figure it out, but somehow the lawyer was able to convince the client that it was our fault.  Even though the problem happened prior to our starting the engagement.

It just makes me want to wash my hands of the whole thing, flip the lawyer the bird, and file a claim with the small claims court and let them deal with it.  Of course it's not that simple here.

It's not at home either - but somehow I don't think I would have gotten such a nasty gram back home.

Ick.

On the bright side my coffee is good today.

Have I told you lately that I love you?

Arabian Mocha Sanani - Extra Bold - I love you.

This coffee from Starbucks is the shiznitz.

The bag says it's "spicy and wine like".

I don't know about all that but I do know it's smooth and tastee.

And I LOVE my coffee.

What a great way to start the day.

Of course it's almost noon but hey it's Friday - which is Sunday - which means I spent the morning wallowing in the bed before I showered and came downstairs to make my breakfast and my coffee.

It's a good thing.

I'm going to sew today - then maybe I'll take a walk.

We'll see.

But first - I need to finish my coffee.

Are we human? Or are we dancers?

I didn't make either one of my goals yesterday. I had some dark chilli chocolate and I didn't exercise.

But...this morning I did sit ups and push ups and I lifted my 5lb weights AND I stretched.
 
There you go and here we are.
 
My new goal today is to not eat sweets.  I already feel weak though because it's "THAT time of the month"
 
Anyway I got nothing else today.
 
Except it's Thursday - which is my Friday.
 
Which means that tomorrow is Friday - which is Sunday.
 
And that Ladies and Gentlemen means I get to....
 
WALLOW!
 
Oh yeah baby!  Just like Queen Latifa in Last Holiday on the wonderful sheets in the Grand Hotel Pupp.
 
Wallow, wallow, wallow.
 
Then coffee...
 
I can't wait!

Random Monday

Here are the things going through my head this morning...

Rain drops on roses and whiskers on kittens....

I'd like to teach the world to sing, in perfect harmoney, I'd like to buy the world a coke and keep it company...

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, my new fuzzy vest SP gave me!  I can't wait to talk to her and thank her!

Coffee.

Coffee. oh and

Coffee.

Merry Christmas, Merry, Merry Christmas, from your K-Mart Christmas Store.

Should I try to put photos on my blog?  It makes writing it a bit more effort...

I like photo books.  A lot.

I love my little dog.

And my husband.

I can't wait for vacation.

America.

Christmas time is here

I was watching a Charlie Brown Christmas and it made me warm and fuzzy.  I love that show - actually I love all the Charlie Brown shows - so I downloaded them.

I wrote Christmas cards this year - send some to the States with my husband - need to address the rest.  Fingers crossed I actually send them out.

I'm back at work after having 4 days off - can I just say I don't want to be here.  But it's a good thing I am because I would never be on a regular time schedule if I didn't have to get up to go to work.  I can't seem to go to bed before 1am and if I don't have to get up for work - I'm not out of bed until 10am. 

I'm awake about 9am - but I don't roll out of bed. 

Wallowing.

I'm addicted.

America.

I need coffee - it seems like there is never enough in my coffee cup and just as I'm getting to feel partially human, I run out.

So now I need to go get more - I'm gearing up for it...

It's going to take an hour or so before I'm actually out the door. 

It's a process. 

BLEH!

I know you are going to be suprised by this....but....

I am NOT a morning person.

Especially when my coffee is bad...

Really bad.

With humidity it's gone off and it tastes like crap.

This is not a good way to start the day - I can feel the beneficial effects of my week long holiday sliding right off me.

It's a good thing another one is up coming.

My husband was in a jolly mood again today, early in the morning (you can sing hoo ray and up she rises...now). How can a person be joyful in the morning - without coffee?!

I married a mad man.

Where is my coffee?

A little bit of America outside the US

Well, we're here at Starbucks...

Surprise!

And guess how many American's are here?! I can count 3 aside from us... judging from the accents.

The world (from the comments I get) thinks we're taking over by going to war, or by economic means... really we're taking over the world one Starbucks and McDonalds at a time...

Which can be viewed from an economic perspective I guess. But I think it's more a cultural one. We are seeping into the cultures of the world and turning them toward "the dark side". I've yet to be in a country that doesn't watch our movies, eat our food, or wear our clothes.

And I have yet to be in a city which does not have a Starbucks or McDonalds. And they always have people in them - including locals...

Even the French have Starbucks. He he he!

There aren't any in Italy - but really who would drink it? Italy has the best coffee I've ever had. Their coffee is excellent, even out of the vending machines, AND they even have good instant coffee. And I hate instant.

I don't think the Italians can even wrap their heads around how to make a bad cup of coffee, in any situation.

I love Starbucks and I love America - but even I wouldn't go to Starbucks for coffee in Italy. Maybe for the snacks but not the coffee. I would buy the coffee outside then bring it in...

But McDonalds is alive and well in Italy, so we're still getting in...

Anyway - we're in Istanbul, in Starbucks, chillin out and thinking about going to a palace or two this afternoon. Maybe.

We'll see.