As has become custom and practice with my blog, I seem to stir myself into action on a Wednesday or Thursday, so as to give you a rundown of my pending activities over the coming weekend – today is one such occasion (if only I could remember to do my time sheets in the same diligent way !)

Sorry, just been off and done my timesheet whilst I thought of it !

I’m sitting in my office doing this (I know, I should be working, but strike whilst the iron is at least luke warm !) and I have just locked (metaphorically) 4 of my staff and two representatives from one of my more difficult clients in the meeting room next door and told them not to come out until they have sorted out their differences – the “conversation” is getting louder and more heated by the minute.  The argument is over some work that the client commissioned (badly) back in the summer of last year, the badly was compounded by some incompetent preparatory work from my current company (my actual client), some badly managed subcontracting from the wrongly assigned contractor, some poor (very poor) personnel management to try and resolve some hysterical shouting and some pigheaded negotiating from the client.

In short, the client doesn’t think they should pay anything for work that has been 75% completed successfully by the contractor (who think they have done everything that was asked of them and that they should get the opportunity, at the very least, to put right and disputed issues.) and the whole thing is becoming a massive paperwork exercise – to make matters worse we now have engineers from different government departments arguing about the quality of finishes of paintwork on doors (as far as I can tell !)

Anyway, it’s probably become a matter of Arabic pride now or something, or a thousand year old tribal animosity, or inter-country dispute over a camel (I might have drifted into trivializing, but I’m sure you have got the drift !)

Moving on – this week has brought one or two interesting tidbits.  My good friend in the office, with a photographic interest, has been playing with some of my pictures in an effort to develop a few of them sufficiently so as to blow them up and make some kind of poster capable of being mounted in the apartment (in a very cost effective way you understand……… not cheap before you ask !).

I think my favourite is……

Although it’s run pretty close by…..

And ……..

We will see if they make good posters !

This week has also seen me take an enforced day off from training as I am now old enough to recognize when I’m over training – and I feel much better for it, thank you for asking.

I also discovered that I could have gone on sneaking into the local hotel, to use the gym and pool, for much longer (I think I had reached the end of my brass neck though – there is such a thing as pushing your luck too far !) as when I went up yesterday to use the pool, with the intention of caving in and paying the ridiculous fee for a month (aed 550 – nearly 100 quid – still not found a pound sign !).  When I went to reception and asked to join the club they looked at me blankly and said “we thought you were already a member – you need to get the form from the gym reception and just pay here” and when I went to the gym reception to get a form they said “we thought you were a resident still” – the upshot was that I went and had a good swim, took the form away to fill out and therefore got away with not paying until at least the 5^th February !

I will have to join officially soon, one way or another, besides needing to swim at least three times a week, the family are arriving next week and will want to spend at least one day lounging by the pool so if I’m to try and avoid paying AED 100 each for them then one of us has to be a member !

And so to the coming weekend – the whole weekend revolves around my race tomorrow – my first Olympic distance triathlon.  I was feeling very apprehensive but after my swim yesterday I’m feeling a bit better.  It’s also P II’s (Psycho II – my bike) first competitive outing, which I’m looking forward to.  It’s a shame that I’ll be there on my own but I’m sure I’ll find someone to talk to (if necessary) so it shouldn’t be too bad.  I’m not looking forward to getting up at stupid o’clock though, ready for a 7am race start. As always, you will all be one of the first to know what happened.

The other bit of news is that I’m going to stay with my old mate Julian, at his new apartment somewhere (I don’t actually know where it is yet so I may yet be sleeping on the beach !) so it will be good to catch up with his comings and goings, most of which I suspect you will never hear about so you might as well get used to that fact !

Lastly, as far as today goes, it now appears that I have finally got my Residency Visa completed.  This may not seem significant but opens up several “locked” doors, for instance I will be able to get internet in my apartment now because I can sign a contract at last, as well as getting my Security Clearance sorted out with my current contract.  This may not seem like a big deal but it should mean that I can get the relevant access cards and at least get into my office in the morning without ringing the door bell ! 

Only time will tell, as they say – and on that bombshell, it’s time for lunch (and I promised Psycho that I’d have a falafel for her, and it’s important to keep promises I feel…..especially where food is concerned !)