Mohammedmas

This was my weekend to relax. With Karla just having left last weekend, I was pretty tired. This weekend, I divided my time getting my act together and taking it easy. It was a surprise long weekend too. Sometime last week, it seems the Ministry of, uh , something noticed that they had forgotten to schedule the holiday to observe the Birthday of the Prophet Mohammed (I have decided to call it Mohammedmas – the presents were wrapped under the palm tree and I was listening for the hooves of Santa Khalid’s camels on the roof). So half way through last week, the school just announced that Saturday was a holiday.

On Wednesday night, I went to salsa class by myself. It was extra-challenging because Karla is the one who remembers all the moves. I spent half the class dancing with Victor since he could remind me of all the moves I had forgotten. He’s much taller and heavier than Karla is, but I should just be extra good when she gets back.

Thursday morning I tried to take the car in for its pre-sale tune-up. Even though I got there first thing in the morning, I was turned away because they were already busy that day. Saturday would be the day the Caprice went under the wrench, which was fine, thanks to Mohammedmas. I came home and made signs to sell the car and our furniture (even with digital pictures of everything). In the heat of the day, I watched the middle Matrix movie, which only caused me to have a short nap in the middle. That afternoon, I was out doing Karla’s bidding. I went and booked a boat for the wedding party that she is supposed to be planning. It was easy and close enough to walk to.

On the way home, I passed a copy of Hotel Rwanda at the roadside black-market DVD table, but passed it up. I regretted that decision, when I watched the last episode of the Matrix that night with Greg. I just didn’t care if they saved Zion or not. It may have been overkill, watching two in one day, but he had already seen the middle one and wanted to finish the trilogy.

Friday, I played some badminton and did some tutoring. I rode my bike over to play badminton and when I got home, I discovered that summer has officially arrived. I know it is summer in Kuwait when the water out of the cold tap is hot enough to have a shower in. In fact, when I got home, hot and sweaty from the bike ride, I was looking forward to a cold shower. No such luck.

After I dropped the car off on Saturday morning, I was brave and took a Kuwaiti public bus home. Fortunately, there was a guy on the bus who spoke English and explained to me how to get home – which involved going to Kuwait city and then going home. It was the long way. If the route home had been a slice of pie, the short way would have followed the crust. I went into the centre and back out. It was a big slice of pie, so it wasn’t that bad. I came home and finished the school work I had procrastinated doing until then. When I got home, Sylvia was here finishing up. We both complained that we have been bored since Karla and Aysha left. She asked me if I was sure that there was nothing else she could do. There wasn’t so she had to go home early.

I went out tutoring - which fortunately was at the point of the pie where I switched busses, so I knew exactly how to get there – almost. Before the bus gets to the point, it stopped at home-base for a break. I had to catch a taxi to get to tutoring on time. The taxi driver spoke great English and told me that he had been in Kuwait for 14 years (parents take note – 3 years in not so long). He started out working as a mechanic for ten years, and then he moved up to a job at Burger King. Now he was a taxi driver, which was the best. At Burger King there were too many rules. He said that if he showed up for work without shaving that day, he had to pay a penalty.

I picked up the car and took it for the super wash - inside and out, vacuumed and floor mats air blasted, engine and under-carriage. While I was there, I got an offer on the car. I told these two Kuwaiti guys that I wasn’t ready to sell it, but we exchanged phone numbers and we’ll talk in a couple weeks. I’m checking the Waseet, Kuwait’s Buy and Sell to see what its worth.