Coffee, Cars, and Claus

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I’m sure each time someone drops the soap there is an interesting story behind it — here’s mine. About two months ago I bought Caleb some cold shower cooling soap cubes to get rid of sweat after a hot day in the office. Well, he already has cleansing material at work, for now, so I opened the box and found out how well it doesn’t work in steaming hot water. So there I was, reaching for the soap when it slipped out of my wet hand and between the jacuzzi tub and wall. The story doesn’t end there. Caleb got home to see what else I found when I moved the basin — a mini shampoo bottle, a dirty razor, and a grimy bar of orange.

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Turkish coffee station

This makes me nervous to move all the other large furniture for hidden treasures but worries me that I didn’t think to do this sooner, but that’s what I get for assuming — a summation of crap as I scrub the remnants of someone else’s ass juice away from its residence on the tiles between tub and non-movable floor drain cover, making sure not to pull on any cords or gadgets and whatever else is going on back there. Of course, after I threw my new treasures out I debated if I should’ve saved the other soap too.

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Hours later, after Caleb got a nap, we would be on our way to the Chocolate and Coffee Expo at the Exhibition Center in Sanabis where traffic only delayed our arrival by 15 minutes. You can imagine our excitement that we were able to try ALL the COFFEES and some of the chocolate too. There were other sweets and treats and even pooped on kopi luwak for our viewing and smelling pleasure, but no samples due to the high cost. While waiting for my Turkish coffee, cooked in sand, I had to stand back while a woman zoomed-in with her arm to get a video with her phone closer to the bubbles I would soon be sipping.

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On our way to the Expo, I had seen tent tops and so we decided to walk to the Bahrain Mall to see what was going on — it was Bike Week(end), along with a classic car show, food trucks, and vendors selling leather. After Caleb was done drooling with his eyes and telling me how he would swap his parts for a vintage vehicle I got us an Uber. This guy was the second to cancel on me in hopes of getting the fee, but it only gives me a credit towards my next ride. I asked why he canceled and he tried to blame it on the company. As he almost hit every other car between us and the National Museum I was wishing we had waited for someone else or just walked there.

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We were walking to the Art Centre but the sign said it was closed at 5 pm and with no cars in the lot and no lights in the window we kept our stroll going until we got to Big Texas BBQ & Waffle House where there was another tree lighting and mulled wine. Not only did the boss bring me a fresh steaming cup of goodness, but he was also offering the place chicken, waffles, pizza, mac-n-cheese balls, mince pies, etc. so we had dinner there too. If that wasn’t impressive enough, a group of carolers were brought in with their pom-poms and torches (flashlights) to entertain us and give us cheer of the season with the help of a lit-up gingerbread house and Santa Claus (a lit-up inflatable version and a jolly live one for taking pictures with the kids in the lobby).

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Beauty and the Beast at the British Club

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Caleb being at work hasn’t slowed me down from going out, but going to the British Club and hoping to get in without a member(ship) could have. I was going to see the matinee of Beauty and the Beast Pantomime — where there is always a girl dressed as a boy (who would get the audience to say oui, oui — louder and longer), a Dame played by a man who is an over-the-top (best costume) dressed woman (Fifi, controller of the bright red handle), a sassy heroine (Belle), and some bad guys that we got to boo!

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I got to the ticket window and was lucky enough to buy one of the last three tickets. It is my first time here and didn’t leave me many minutes to explore the sports fields or heated pool before the show started. I sat near the back, as the front was full of the other 120 people, with parents putting little ones in their laps to make more room. The show was a great mix of local knowledge and being snobbish towards other clubs (Yacht and Rugby). It was British humor with a French touch as that’s where the story is set. There were a few changes to the storyline and a moral that beauty is more than skin deep.

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Belle, Gaston, Beast, and Mrs. Potts

Belle was trying to get the Beast to invite her to dinner politely and when she asked which word came next the voice of a three-year-old girl from the audience answered for him and received ahhs and applause from the crowd for her cute, “please”. There was an intermission for more popcorn on the floor and beers in hand, but I stayed in my seat perched on my ankles so I could get my camera over heads. The costumes were great and the engagement so authentic between actors and involved spectators. Dusk had arrived when I left the small theater two hours later.

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United In the Kingdom

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candy cane tables on base

I start the morning trying out our new blender and realize that the tinier ice cubes will melt faster than the large ones that don’t break, and the blender didn’t go up in smoke so I look forward to doing this more often. I get in some steps as I walk to the phone counter upstairs in the shopping building on base to reload Caleb’s data card, but on the way, I hear a gate guard talking about Montana and his plans to retire after ten years active duty and find a city large enough, but somewhat close to his small-town home that can give him a job in the big country so he can avoid desert islands.

Our retirement will look a little different as we go in search of deserts to drive, islands to dive, and mountains to climb so that we can train for a six-month hike, possibly once or four times on one or three continents before we hit our over-the-hill age (though Caleb’s body is already trying to accomplish this feat). I look forward to Caleb being able to sleep in for a week straight and planning for things more than a month in advance. We will get to build our hobbies together regardless of the size of the city, state, or country that we find ourselves in any given year.

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McGettigan’s backyard

While Caleb is busy patrolling the construction site that is his work (and trying to keep the Captain from coming into work every chance he gets) I’m on foot towards Adliya in search of McGettigan’s where there will be a tree lighting and mulled wine, serving to start at 6:30 and hot from what appears to be a witches cauldron. There are also mince pies, chocolate-covered marshmallows, and Rice Krispie Treats. As if the night couldn’t get better I get to catch up with Hanan and his wife, wear Santa hats that were passed out to everyone, and chat about some upcoming travel to Tbilisi.

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Madhan and me in the middle

 

We parted ways and I was invited to join a group sitting along the side of DePart, a temporary pavilion, with a phone projector watching a cartoon film on the next building. I would’ve loved the camaraderie and conversation that would’ve ensued but I had a friend, Princess, to get to at Jim’s Restaurant — only to find out she didn’t know the guys in the band, but within seven degrees of separation, they somehow knew a guy she was being casual with. We met a bunch of kind and older British guys that kept us entertained until the show stopped and a group of Irish lads took to dancing on chairs (with help from the manager) to songs from their native country on the jukebox.

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Tea, Taxi, Top

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I got to catch my second mini-roach critter and release it outside in hopes that the birds would eat him, but I think the bird parents murdered their eggs by throwing them on the ground and leaving three puddles of unpoached babies on the pavement by the pool. I was taking our recyclables to the base as the station for plastic bottles, cardboard, and aluminum on the corner off base is always overflowing. I see the want is there but the need hasn’t been fully met and since I only have a tiny bit to bring I can collect a hundred other bottles to bring with me, even if most of them are still full of water.

Besides all the death and disregard, I was invited for a tea or coffee at the corner taxi station and I took a cup of Bahraini coffee (one scoop into the pitcher with some saffron) — even if it meant that one of the guys moved to their covered area to escape my calves (they can be intimidating). I talked with Jay and after his 18 years on this corner he has learned a lot about the Navy and the personality of its inhabitants while he cooks and plays games and waits to tote the crew between base and bar, both places allowing the sailors to consume alcohol until they’re out past curfew.

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Caleb and I would spend the night playing Skip-Bo past his bedtime because after years of playing intermittently he has finally hit a winning streak and besides our walks, it’s a nice way to unwind and listen to an annoying radio host that you used to kind of know (enough that she got invited to Caleb’s birthday party) as she seems to get jobs all over the island but that hasn’t rid her of the over-the-top morning personality that oozes from her, which is also a nice thing about her.

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Taco Tuesday Taken Away

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pre-carb workout

I’ve been postponing Taco Tuesday — free tacos and then some trivia sponsored by the base — because other things came up (i.e. Caleb’s job). We finally get to go, even after Caleb gets off work late, and invite someone from the ship only to learn that the base stopped doing it. This only meant I got to eat Al Abraaj bread (delicious fluffy and flat brown bread) baked on the spot and wrapped in foil to-go with falafels and vegetable samboosa at the house.

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