I am a part-time employee who works 9 am to 1 pm. Today, I am in early as I plan to leave for an exercise class. What is interesting is that it is 8:20 and not one of my full-time co-workers is here. While traffic is always an issue in this country, everybody was late the previous times I've come in early, too. The last time, the first one arrived at 8:20 pm.

Those of you who know me personally know that slight tardiness is part of my nature. Fortunately, most of the places where I have worked have been very relaxed about that as long as we got the job done. Still, most everyone was in the office at the set starting time.

What is also different about this particular work environment--that is, my department--is that it is rare for anyone to be here after 5, unless they have to attend an after-hours event. The times when I worked a full day, I was the last one to leave. Again, this could be chalked up to the deplorable traffic conditions they face daily and that fact that I live about 3 minutes from my office. At my previous jobs, it was quite common to find people still at work at 5:30 or 6 every day, even if they came in early. Most of those jobs were at smaller organizations with heavy workloads, but people seemed to really love their jobs.

Oh--the first ones are here: 8:23.

I think if I had to deal with horrible Dubai/Sharjah traffic every day I would shift my work hours to come in around 7. It's not fool proof, but it would probably help.

The better part of the last two weeks have been consumed by preparation for/cleaning up after our sort-of-annual Mardi Gras party. Gallons of gumbo and a giant king cake later, we're tired but had fun.

The weather is still gorgeous, although it is getting warmer by the day. Some mornings this week have brought heavy fog, which usually signals a season change. It also leads to numerous traffic problems. Maybe I should be used to this by now (given the "me-first" attitude that dominates the highways here) but the following article just made my blood boil:

Lack of public cooperation hits rescue efforts during fog

'Cause, you know, it's way more important for some random person to get to his/her office on time just to sit behind a desk than it is for some INJURED person to be helped by the paramedics.

Fine 'em like crazy and take away their wheels!

How much am I worth?

I am worth $2,103,230 on HumanForSale.com

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Careful,  there's a serious manhunt afoot in Dubai. Take care the next time you dress up for a costume party:

Hunt For Cross-Dressers (from Emirates Today, Feb 6, 2007)

Dubai police have started investigations into cases of alleged cross-dressing in public during the Gulf Cup victory celebration parade on Friday.

As reported earlier in Emirates Today, many people complained about lewd behaviour by fans during the parade. Lt Gen Tamim confirmed that the police had registered cases of men dressed as women, as well as women dressed in men’s clothing.

Some men in the parade dressed up as the cartoon character Um Khamas that appeared on television stations Dubai TV and Sama Dubai during Ramadan. A few young women, riding in the back of pick-up trucks in the parade, dressed up like men and were seen holding shisha pipes.

“Any man who wears women’s clothes and imitates women will be penalised as per the UAE laws,” Lt Gen Tamim told Emirates Today. He added that the same goes for women dressing up as men and imitating male behaviour.

Tamim acknowledged that both instances occurred during the parade. He said investigations of the violators have started and police would refer offenders to judicial authorities if warranted.

Brigadier Khais Matar Al Muzainah, Director of the Dubai Police Criminal Investigation Department, said that the number of crossdressers was still uncertain.

“Police patrols noted down the car numbers of the violators during the parade. Yesterday we started calling them in to the police station for investigations. We do not have the final number yet, because during interrogation they are telling us about others who were involved in the act. Therefore, we can only arrive at the final number of violators after we finish our investigations.” Cross-dressing, according to UAE federal laws, is an punishable offence, a UAE lawyer explained.

Thousands of supporters joined the parade and, according to informed sources, the cross-dressers were not homosexuals but were simply dressing up for fun.

So here's what's been up the last two months:

• More rain than we could ever imagine in the UAE--and even thunderstorms twice this week (woo-hoo!)
• A month-long battle with bronchitis for Little Man
• A fun trip back to the US of A for about a month just after Christmas. Caught up with friends and family, ate crawfish and King Cake, bought new running shoes and Elmo DVDs
• Planning for a second-birthday party (tomorrow; Elmo) and an upcoming Mardi Gras fete
• Dubai had shopping festival and we only went to Global Village once (OK--the shine is off the apple)

I am surprised to see that I actually had 28 visitors yesterday (must be spammers), given that I have not be a reliable blogger. Any real readers out there?

It has rained THREE times this week--quite a feat for the sandlands in November. Naturally, this led to around 500 minor accidents in Dubai (no exaggeration) and probably close to that amount in Sharjah. The temp dropped to around 17 C/62 F one afternoon, and we all enjoyed putting on our hoodies and light jackets.

While the rain is welcome--certainly by the petunias and vinca I just planted--it tends to leave everything really dirty. With months of sand build-up on buildings, carports, etc., the light rain tends to make your cars really dirty. At least the air is really clean right now.

Tomorrow starts a four-day weekend in honor of UAE National Day. We are lucky to have the fourth day, as the rest of the country only gets three days. Usually we follow the government holiday schedule, which is announced just prior to the holiday, but this time we caught a break. Apparently, number four was included on the yearly calendar printed in various official campus documents and the administration felt obliged to keep it that way.

This weekend will likely be the Christmas kick-off in the Red Pen household, with tree decorating scheduled for Friday afternoon. My iPod is loaded with Christmas tunes for the occasion.

Speaking of holidays, last weekend we celebrated Thanksgiving with some friends from Louisiana and Mississippi who prepared a deep-fried turkey, seasoned with the Cajun-injector (try explaining that bad boy to Customs). About 14 families attended, and we enjoyed our dinner in the back garden.