In 12 hours Zeb will be going in for surgery at the local hospital. He is finally having his tonsils removed, and they have decided to take out his adnoids while he is under. He is a little nervous, and I am very nervous. I have taken time off work so I can wait at the hospital and he has asked if I will stay the night with him. This country is a little strange, but they understand families so it shouldn't be a problem here.
They have also said he needs to have his thyroid tested and are concerned about his lack of energy. So in a few weeks, after all this has finished we will be getting his thyroid checked to see if he has the same problem I do. Wouldn't surprise me if he did.
I will post again after the surgery to let you know how it has gone.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Jekyll and Hyde
December 2010
Last weekend it was time for the annual RAKADS Chrismas Pantomime. This year we performed a more "haloween" type Pantomime for the crowds: Jekyll and Hyde or Make Mine a Double.
There were two dames in it. My husband played the esteemed LuLu Lather, the laundress from the hospital basement, whose son is the lead boy of the pantomime. The second dame was played by a gentelman named Mark who we are going to Christmas dinner with next weekend. Nice guy from the UK.
I played the rather aloof Dr. Jekyll, and I played it as straight as I possibly could as a direct reflection of the extreme play up that everyone else was giving in their roles. My sons, Will and Zeb, played the dubious criminals Smash and Grab. and my little Rae was multiple roled as Nurse #2, Child #1, and Zombie #3. This year there were only 14 people in the cast or so and with the five us making up a third of the cast, it was a huge production of the Jones Family 5. Fantastic. We all did so well. I made a great Dr. Jekyll. Check out Will's facebook page for some great pictures of it, and of me!
It looks like next year I will either be the writer or the director (or both, but if I direct, the writing will be done well in advance so the changes can be made as we learn our parts, with time for actual directions.
It was fun to be in, but a horrid time for practice and I hated doing it more this year than I ever have before. It was such a drain on me, my emotions, my sleep, everything. In part because they kept changing my lines and changing their minds about stage directions. My lines changed even a week before the big show as did the stage directions. ACK!
But regardless, it was a success. The people came, they enjoyed it, and we are hoping that next year will be better.
I don't know about a video though. Last year I filmed it, but promptly lost the power chord to my video camera so haven't been able to watch or download the film. This year I didn't have my camera (still no chord) and I am still looking for it. I am hating the fact that I have no camera.
Anyway, I hope you see the photos.
Last weekend it was time for the annual RAKADS Chrismas Pantomime. This year we performed a more "haloween" type Pantomime for the crowds: Jekyll and Hyde or Make Mine a Double.
There were two dames in it. My husband played the esteemed LuLu Lather, the laundress from the hospital basement, whose son is the lead boy of the pantomime. The second dame was played by a gentelman named Mark who we are going to Christmas dinner with next weekend. Nice guy from the UK.
I played the rather aloof Dr. Jekyll, and I played it as straight as I possibly could as a direct reflection of the extreme play up that everyone else was giving in their roles. My sons, Will and Zeb, played the dubious criminals Smash and Grab. and my little Rae was multiple roled as Nurse #2, Child #1, and Zombie #3. This year there were only 14 people in the cast or so and with the five us making up a third of the cast, it was a huge production of the Jones Family 5. Fantastic. We all did so well. I made a great Dr. Jekyll. Check out Will's facebook page for some great pictures of it, and of me!
It looks like next year I will either be the writer or the director (or both, but if I direct, the writing will be done well in advance so the changes can be made as we learn our parts, with time for actual directions.
It was fun to be in, but a horrid time for practice and I hated doing it more this year than I ever have before. It was such a drain on me, my emotions, my sleep, everything. In part because they kept changing my lines and changing their minds about stage directions. My lines changed even a week before the big show as did the stage directions. ACK!
But regardless, it was a success. The people came, they enjoyed it, and we are hoping that next year will be better.
I don't know about a video though. Last year I filmed it, but promptly lost the power chord to my video camera so haven't been able to watch or download the film. This year I didn't have my camera (still no chord) and I am still looking for it. I am hating the fact that I have no camera.
Anyway, I hope you see the photos.
Yes, He has a job
So my darling husband was frantic with wory for a while because he wanted to have a job. Like many men, he just isn't comfortable being the stay at home dad. So after his stint as a commercial star (and repeated call backs that he has had to turn down because of his new job) he applied to be a teacher at a school in Sharjah. Dopey guy got the job. He was made the head of the English department because he has the best credentials there. Then he spent the summer taking classes for a CELTA, which is a british certificate stating that he can teach English Language to ESL students.
On a side note, I have had to explain several times in my own job why I refuse to get a CELTA. I just won't do it. The CELTA is about the same (having seen what they do and the forms they must complete) as the Foundations in ESL course that I had to take when I began my MA. I WILL NOT spend an inordinate amount of money to get the same training that I ALREADY GOT. Yes, I get cranky about it.
But that isn't to say it isn't a great program. It is a great program. A bit intense if taken in the short form and not for the faint of heart, but it is still something that I have already done.
Not gonna happen.
but my hubby did and was happily placed as the head of the English department. He has been in place now for several months and I have to laugh. He keeps doing "radical" things for a teacher, at least in the students eyes. He is a favorite teacher on campus (as he has always been as a teacher) and he brings in as much tech as he can.... (MEd in Ed Tech.. so that is a no brainer).
Several times this year I have had co workers and colleagues ask me about my husbands job status, apparently they were not aware of his job, and I of course am able to say "he is the head of the English department at this school". What I find interesting is their response. Most of them look shocked or surprised, though I don't know why. He is an amazing teacher (yes he says the same of me) and I know how his students love him. He is always straight with the kids, always answering their every question, and makes a clear plan to get from point A to point B as long as he knows points A and B from the beginning.
See his face book posts if you want more info on his job, as I know he talks about it all the time there. I will instead just say that yes he has a job. And he is enjoying it, even with the complaints he makes.
He loves teaching.
Now if they would only move him to Sociology or Psychology, where he truly belongs.
On a side note, I have had to explain several times in my own job why I refuse to get a CELTA. I just won't do it. The CELTA is about the same (having seen what they do and the forms they must complete) as the Foundations in ESL course that I had to take when I began my MA. I WILL NOT spend an inordinate amount of money to get the same training that I ALREADY GOT. Yes, I get cranky about it.
But that isn't to say it isn't a great program. It is a great program. A bit intense if taken in the short form and not for the faint of heart, but it is still something that I have already done.
Not gonna happen.
but my hubby did and was happily placed as the head of the English department. He has been in place now for several months and I have to laugh. He keeps doing "radical" things for a teacher, at least in the students eyes. He is a favorite teacher on campus (as he has always been as a teacher) and he brings in as much tech as he can.... (MEd in Ed Tech.. so that is a no brainer).
Several times this year I have had co workers and colleagues ask me about my husbands job status, apparently they were not aware of his job, and I of course am able to say "he is the head of the English department at this school". What I find interesting is their response. Most of them look shocked or surprised, though I don't know why. He is an amazing teacher (yes he says the same of me) and I know how his students love him. He is always straight with the kids, always answering their every question, and makes a clear plan to get from point A to point B as long as he knows points A and B from the beginning.
See his face book posts if you want more info on his job, as I know he talks about it all the time there. I will instead just say that yes he has a job. And he is enjoying it, even with the complaints he makes.
He loves teaching.
Now if they would only move him to Sociology or Psychology, where he truly belongs.
The Little Lady
In March of 2010 I was invited to give a little of my time to the RAK Animal Welfare Centre. I was happy to do so. I have been a supporter of Animal Rights and Prevention of Cruelty to Animals for years. Not an extremist, I do believe that animal adoptions should only be through the local pound or shelter and not through breeders, as we just don't need a surplus. I am also big on the "spay or neuter your pet" method of animal control. To me these are things that just make sense.
So when I was invited to give a little of my time to this fledgling enterprise I was happy to say a resounding yes. And then I started walking dogs. Every Wednesday I would go to the animal shelter and walk the dogs there. That was March of 2010. In June I got a frantic request asking me to also cover Mondays for a few months because half of the volunteers had gone on vacation and were not able to walk dogs on those days. On days when the volunteers couldn't come the dogs would not be walked, so of course I said yes. And I took my family with me. So all five of us would walk between 5-7 dogs each twice a week.
Come september, the volunteers were back and we were able to go back to the Wednesday schedule but I continued to bring my family. And we met a little dog (about 2 years old now) named Lady.
Lady was born some kind of Collie/Sheltie type breed and was small, even for her breed. She was not well fed, in order to keep her mean and biting. Her owner cut off her ears so she would not be quickly overcome in the dog fights that she was being trained for. But Lady was a bit of a runt and her owner soon realized that she would be useless in the pits (as would most collies, they are herders not fighters... what an idiot that guy was). So she was dumped in a bag at the side of the road near a mosque. This is not a safe place to be for a dog, as the saliva of a dog is considered Haram/forbidden and dogs are seen as dirty by many of the locals.
One fine point. Dogs themselves are not Haram. A working dog is even permitted in the tent accourding to Islamic tradition, but their saliva is still considered dirty. A collie is a breed of working dog, as are most of the breeds. You just need to know what their work is meant to be. A collie is a herder, perfect for this location because we have goats, cows, sheep, and camels. I wouldn't recommend trying to herd camels with a collie, but I bet it could be done.
Anyway, Lady was found and brought to the RAKAWC where she was walked every week by Rae, Zeb, or William. I noticed that Zeb is particularly nervous around dogs. After the loss of Rufus, who was like Zeb's best friend for a time, I was really worried about his interaction with animals and wanted to see his animal empathy grow. I noticed that with Lady, Zeb could be at ease. So eventually we started fostering Lady. We took her home and let her meet the cats (yes we have a dog cage, so Lady and the cats were safe) and began to work with her on house training and behavior.
And she is easy to train. She sits, she lays down, she is working on staying. She "goes to bed" every night. She usually goes to the bathroom at her "times" accourding to our schedule. Yes there are accidents, especially when she is annoyed with us or if we are late home, but she is working beautifully. So we adopted her. Now she is a part of the family. And Zeb loves his little Lady.
She walks the neighborhood full of kids and none of the children are frightened or run away because she never barks or lunges, is always on her best behaviour, and acts like an angel. With me, she walks off the lead/leash. She heals and stays at my side. If I say "go home" she runs for the gate and then waits there for my return. If I am within the yard and open up the gates so she can see out, she looks but she never crosses the gate line unless I say so, or go out with her. She doesn't chase cats (though she does herd them around the house if we let her).
Lady is a perfect little lady, and she is all ours. I will (hopefully) post some photos of her and the cats later.
We have three cats and one dog now, and all of them are doing very well.
So when I was invited to give a little of my time to this fledgling enterprise I was happy to say a resounding yes. And then I started walking dogs. Every Wednesday I would go to the animal shelter and walk the dogs there. That was March of 2010. In June I got a frantic request asking me to also cover Mondays for a few months because half of the volunteers had gone on vacation and were not able to walk dogs on those days. On days when the volunteers couldn't come the dogs would not be walked, so of course I said yes. And I took my family with me. So all five of us would walk between 5-7 dogs each twice a week.
Come september, the volunteers were back and we were able to go back to the Wednesday schedule but I continued to bring my family. And we met a little dog (about 2 years old now) named Lady.
Lady was born some kind of Collie/Sheltie type breed and was small, even for her breed. She was not well fed, in order to keep her mean and biting. Her owner cut off her ears so she would not be quickly overcome in the dog fights that she was being trained for. But Lady was a bit of a runt and her owner soon realized that she would be useless in the pits (as would most collies, they are herders not fighters... what an idiot that guy was). So she was dumped in a bag at the side of the road near a mosque. This is not a safe place to be for a dog, as the saliva of a dog is considered Haram/forbidden and dogs are seen as dirty by many of the locals.
One fine point. Dogs themselves are not Haram. A working dog is even permitted in the tent accourding to Islamic tradition, but their saliva is still considered dirty. A collie is a breed of working dog, as are most of the breeds. You just need to know what their work is meant to be. A collie is a herder, perfect for this location because we have goats, cows, sheep, and camels. I wouldn't recommend trying to herd camels with a collie, but I bet it could be done.
Anyway, Lady was found and brought to the RAKAWC where she was walked every week by Rae, Zeb, or William. I noticed that Zeb is particularly nervous around dogs. After the loss of Rufus, who was like Zeb's best friend for a time, I was really worried about his interaction with animals and wanted to see his animal empathy grow. I noticed that with Lady, Zeb could be at ease. So eventually we started fostering Lady. We took her home and let her meet the cats (yes we have a dog cage, so Lady and the cats were safe) and began to work with her on house training and behavior.
And she is easy to train. She sits, she lays down, she is working on staying. She "goes to bed" every night. She usually goes to the bathroom at her "times" accourding to our schedule. Yes there are accidents, especially when she is annoyed with us or if we are late home, but she is working beautifully. So we adopted her. Now she is a part of the family. And Zeb loves his little Lady.
She walks the neighborhood full of kids and none of the children are frightened or run away because she never barks or lunges, is always on her best behaviour, and acts like an angel. With me, she walks off the lead/leash. She heals and stays at my side. If I say "go home" she runs for the gate and then waits there for my return. If I am within the yard and open up the gates so she can see out, she looks but she never crosses the gate line unless I say so, or go out with her. She doesn't chase cats (though she does herd them around the house if we let her).
Lady is a perfect little lady, and she is all ours. I will (hopefully) post some photos of her and the cats later.
We have three cats and one dog now, and all of them are doing very well.
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