I am perfectly aware that it is time to get funny again but it is not going to happen. Why? Because everything is going wrong. The former state of optimism has disappeared completely and for good reason. January 3 was to be a banner day – in other words a red letter day, a best day, a big day, a day for celebration, a delightful day, a festive day, a flag day., a memorable day, and an important day. But not, it was a total catastrophe which is a an event causing great and often sudden damage or suffering; a disaster. Synonyms are: calamity, cataclysm, crisis, h ruin, ruination, tragedy, blow, shock; adversity, blight, trouble, trial, tribulation, mishap, misfortune, mischance, misadventure, accident, failure, reverse, woe, affliction, distress; meltdown, whammy. Looking over this list it does seem that there might be a slight exaggeration – it was a meltdown, a whammy of a day but not quite a tragedy or a ruination.
The plan was to begin with a two hour covid test, go the the Agency obtain the Emeritus ID, then check back into the St. Regis Hotel. It began cheerfully with many folks at the Premier Inn saying they would miss me, connecting with some through Whats App and others through Instagram. Much had been accomplished during the eleven day stay. The simplicity and relaxed ambiance had been a welcome relief from the pressured good times of Rixos Resort and the perhaps overly luxurious St. Regis with its many rich and arrogant guests. But return reservations had been made at the St, Regis and it is on the grounds of the apartment – awaiting the issuance of the Emeritus ID. Besides the St. Regis and the Louvre are practically neighbors, please do not forget that I was the first 2022 member of that esteemed museum.
Well, sorry no two hour test – apparently the two hour machine broke down and now there is only a five hour test. MADD helpfully found my previous test, so it seemed that all might be well. Then to the Agency – well no Emeritus ID as it still was being ‘processed’. Most helpful Amour (nickname) will Whats App me when it is processed, whatever that may mean. Told the people at the agency that I had prayed for Patience not the ID – therefore I did not feel let down by Allah and, for me, showed a great deal of patience. It was too early to check into the St. Regis so it seemed that a visit to the Louvre was in order. We got there, suspiciously there were no cars. It is closed on Monday. I guess they have to be closed once in awhile but not on a day that I want to go there.
So to the St. Regis, which is close by. Greeted by bellmen:
They: You are back! We missed you!
Me: I told you I would be back and here I am. I missed you.
But there was an undercurrent of disquiet with some entitled people being extremely rude to staff trying to help them. I provided my passport, my vaccination record and up to date test to a handsome man, who was being assisted by a computer. After some time he said:
He: We do not have your booking and there is not a king deluxe room for you.
Me: I just received two email confirmations from you – you must be mistaken. Here they are.
Suddenly there appeared the Manager, knew him from my prior stay and he had said he would greet me upon my return.
He: I will take care of you. Come, let me get you some coffee and a pastry.
Me: Thank you.
Well discovered there was terrible flooding on the Island two nights before. Rooms were underwater. He had cancelled all the bookings as a stay was impossible.
He: But do not worry! I will obtain a room on the Island for you. Pay for the room and the taxi.
Me: No I am fine. I will just go back to the Premier Inn at the airport. They were saying that they would miss me – now they will not have to.
I called MADD, in a half an hour he arrived and we drove back to the Premier Inn. Fortunately there was room at the Inn and I checked back – to the great delight of many. When they dry out the St. Regis the Manager will call and back I will go. Suppose I was silly, I am sure that I would have gotten a posh room for nothing on the Island but remember, if it ain’t broke do not fix it.
Do admit that I was not very cheerful upon awakening – surrounded by uncertainty, nothing working properly. I am in total limbo which is an uncertain period of awaiting a decision or resolution; an intermediate state or condition. It is an abeyance, unattended to, suspended, deferred, postponed, put off, pending, in a state of suspension, awaiting action, on ice, in cold storage; unresolved, undetermined, in a state of uncertainty, up in the air, in no man’s land, betwixt and between; ongoing, outstanding, hanging fire; abandoned, neglected; on the back burner, on hold. So my life is now in cold storage, in no man’s land, betwixt and between and on the back burner.
Got dressed, called MADD, we drove to Yas Mall, for coffee and then I had an Apple class that ended up being a one-on-one. The session was on podcasting which is my next project. Learned a lot, made theme music, so exciting and I am full of anticipation.
Unknown to me MADD took a picture of me which was posted on Instagram with a funny message which will be mentioned at the end of the blog.
Back to the Premier Inn. The pool is closed because of wind and rain. At the moment in the Nuevo Restaurant having hot and sour soup and kung poa chicken and rhubarb crumble. There were two really cute little kids rushing about a little girl with a unicorn shirt and her older brother. The mother and grandmother came to speak to the three of us. Guess where the kids and mother live? Here in Abu Dhabi on Saadyiatt Island. Small world and all of that. Promised to show the little girl my Apple Watch with the unicorn face at some time in the future when my life is no longer hanging fire and on hold. Finally the Christmas music at the Nuevo is gone, the sound track is crowded with MY songs, right now I Am Not in Love. Rather sad, I suppose, I am not in romantic love but loving so many around me and away from me.
I was explaining to NEFF in Marin about the rain and my upset plans.
She: FYI UAE has been doing cloud seeding for 15 years to meet the demands for increased water needs. They actively fly planes into clouds to increase water from rain! It only works with cumulous clouds which are vertical in shape. Planes fly specific calls into those shaped clouds with hydroscopic flares.
Me: You are brilliant but they are not. There are no storm drains so there is massive flooding and puddles of water sitting on the pavement which does no good whatsoever.
She: You are correct they don’t know how to manage living with rainfall.
Me: This country not built for rain. Floods everywhere.
She: Zero rain boots and rain gear at any mall for local use. And there are not gutters for rainfall on streets and sewers.
Me: You are brilliant yet again.
She: They need to look at the Netherlands for the right way to live at sea level. As you have said, this is poor urban planning and they need to get it fixed ASAP
Me: I agree. Did you know that I cannot swim? I might be in great difficulty.
She: California needs to improve its urban planning as well. Marin always floods. Make sure your storage facility here is not in the flood zone.
Me: Who cares about possessions?
She: True, you are on a bigger mission.
Here is the Instagram caption accompanying photograph of me. Received this on WhatsApp with the following message. “Beautiful Woman. Sheikha Fatimah” The photographer called me Sheikha Fatimah and says to everyone and to traffic “make way for the Sheikha and then we both laugh. At the Yas Mall just prior to great Apple session on podcasting – my next venture.
At the moment fifteen likes. The first is someone with the last name of althiani. Really you say? What is the significance of that? Al Thiani is the last name of the Royal Family of Qatar – there are real Sheikhas in that group of people. I met some in 2019.
