Merry Christmas

 Merry Christmas from Michigan. I got back home on the 10th and I'm "scheduled" to return to KSA on the 31st. I say scheduled because on Monday of this week I got the notice that KSA has closed down all international travel for at least one week due to the new strain of Covid-19 (apparently less deadly but more contagious.) That means a total ban on all travel into and out of KSA. So, I guess on the 28th I will learn whether I can even get on a plane. That can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on the POV. Every silver-lining has its dark cloud. 

Early in November I had a major infection in my lower jaw near tooth #27. Two weeks of antibiotics got rid of most of it but so I didn't have to worry about getting another severe infection while flying over the Atlantic I opted to get a root canal done in Jeddah - BIG mistake. Apparently the dentist was more used to working on camels. My dentist in MI actually said, and I quote, "WTF" when he saw this x-ray.

guess which tooth is in bad shape

Only recourse was to pull it and add an implant....next year sometime when I make it back to MI. Of course there is no way to sue the dentist in the Magic Kingdom. Another painful, expensive lesson.

So, it's a white Christmas, dusting of snow on the ground, cloudy, windy, and chilly. We are warm inside the house at least. 

I hope everyone has something they are thankful for at this time of year, can't be easy for some. Knock on wood, we are all healthy.

See ya next year!

I will fly!

Finally (cross your fingers & knock on wood) I will be taking off tomorrow for a long delayed visit home to Michigan and see wifey & the fur-babies. Not gonna lie, it'll be weird going from 33°C to -4°C. No more tanning until January at least. Two five-hour layovers along the way but at least I'll get to spend them in the lounge - I may even have a drink or two along the way.

Funny thing at work the other day - the other PT engineer in my office was sitting there with one of the other Saudis (both looking at their phones) and he starts humming. I poke my head around from behind my monitor, look at him and ask, "Are you humming 'Red River Valley'?" He didn't know what the song was but said he liked the tune. (Nice rendition here: https://youtu.be/Q89_4gL0M2M) So we had a little discussion about musical genres. BTW, he frequently hums/sings and I tease him about competing in 'Arabia's Got Talent' or 'Arabian Idol'.

Today he and I got to visit a vendor (I may have mentioned about the impeller from Taif) who has finally done a better job building one that should last. Welding is still not the best but at least it has evidence that they performed NDT on the welds - there probably aren't any blatant cracks. We were there to witness the balancing test and do a visual inspection prior to them finishing & painting. Probably another trip to Taif in store for us in January, brrrr! At least this time I'll bring a warm jacket.

So, on the way to this shop I had a small case of pseudo-deja vu. As we came around the corner there was business after business of trucks, tractor trailers, and heavy equipment. I asked my little buddy if this was the only location in Jeddah for these and he said yes - told me the name of the market in Arabic. I said that I've been here (any who have read my previous blog might remember mention of that.) The place hasn't changed from when I rode up that road with another Saudi and his cousin who was looking to buy a truck for his business in Jizan. It's a small world after all.

Wish me luck with successful landings at appropriate places over the next couple days.

It's raining, it's pouring...

 تشير التوقعات الواردة من المركز الوطني للأرصاد الى هطول امطار تتفاوت شدتها من متوسطة الى غزيرة ابتداءً من يوم الاربعاء الموافق 4/10 وحتى يوم الاحد الموافق 4/14 ويهيب الدفاع المدني من جميع المواطنين والمقيمين أخذ الحيطة والحذر والابتعاد عن بطون الأودية ومجاري السيول واتباع تعليماته في مثل هذه الحالات .

tushir altawaqueat alwaridat min almarkaz alwatanii lil'arsad 'iilaa hutul 'amtar tatafawat shadatuha min mutawasitat 'iilaa ghazirat abtda'an min yawm al'arbiea' almuafiq 4/10 wahataa yawm al'ahad almuafiq 4/14 wayuhib aldifae almadaniu min jmye almuatinin walmuqimin 'akhadh alhitat walhidhr walaibtiead ean butun al'awadiat wamajari alsuyul waitibae taelimatih fi mithl hadhih alhalat

"The forecasts received from the National Center of Meteorology indicate that the intensity of rain varies from medium to heavy, starting from Wednesday, 10/4, until Sunday, corresponding to 4/14, and the Civil Defense calls on all citizens and residents to take caution and caution and stay away from the stomachs of valleys and streams of torrents and follow its instructions in Such cases."

The top Arabic message I just got texted to me from the local Civil Defense, the other two are Google translate. Seems we are to have some more rain this week. Interesting (slightly) story, I got up the other morning and was sitting down to coffee and breakfast and I started to hear this weird noise. I get up and walk around and it sounds like it is coming from the front door. When I open the door I see that there is a torrential down pour happening. Out the back window of my apartment I see three construction workers huddled under the (very) small roof in front of the dispensary and there was a cat that was headed for the same place but saw the guys and ran around the building looking for another likely shelter I dare say.

In a city that has zero in the way of storm drains the after effects were interesting. Many places had large standing water locations. A day later I drove by a parking lot that still had water up to the rocker panels on the cars in there. Today I saw one place where a truck was trying to suck-up the water still flooding the parking lot by a mosque four days later.

In other news, looks like there has been an attack just a few miles from where I live. 2020 just keeps on giving.

Quick post, it's been a slow week

 Some kind of instruction...I just don't know what type to use, any suggestions?

The above is a form that needs to be filled out by people entering KSA. (I'm thinking that Hot&Sour soup might just do the trick and it might keep you from touching your eyes & nose.

It has been brought to my attention that I may not be seeing comments from some followers of my blog. IF you have subscribed to this blog to receive it in email format AND you 'comment' by replying to that email I will never see it. If you want me to see your comment then you must include my email address (jriddell @ gmail.com - remove the spaces) in the TO: area.

Next week I get a root canal done. Yipee!

I will be heading back to Michigan in December and staying through the month. With all the pandemic panic I don't know how many people that I would like to see that I will get to see. We'll see.

Did ya miss me?

 Been a little preoccupied for a while and since it doesn't seem too many people are reading this anyway (judging by comments, direct & posted) I'm guessing I was not really missed. Besides, people have their own lives to live and don't need to live vicariously through me - at least I hope not for your sake.

I've been trying to schedule a visit back to the USA but seem to be stymied at every turn. First I had a very good scheduled itinerary via Turkish Airlines. (You may recall British Airways bailed on me back in the May time frame.) Then, all of a sudden, Turkish airways was no longer flying out of Jeddah. So, back to the drawing board. I booked a good flight, at a lower price, on Royal Jordanian. A week later I first get a notice that they changed my return flight. I thought it was the time but it was the day as well so I would miss my connection back to KSA. The next day, as I was trying to get that straightened out, they canceled my flight out of KSA. So I'm back to square one. Now there are no flights out of KSA except on Saudia (I'm not really enamored of their facilities) and they are at twice the price. Hmmm, seems if you are the only game in town you can set your own prices. I suspect that the government is not allowing any other airline to fly just so Saudia can make up for lost revenue - and jacking up the price since the VAT is 15% now instead of 5%. Naw! That sounds too much like a conspiracy.

The French engineer I work with was ordered to stay home for the week following the initial kerfuffle in France. This was immediately after a security person at the French embassy in Jeddah was injured in an attack. On Veteran's Day in Jeddah there was an IED that went off during a ceremony at the non-Muslim cemetery just 25 minutes south of where I live. https://www.reuters.com/article/saudi-blast-int-idUSKBN27R1BI Scary.

Keeps the ants out. They may not
be able to read but seem to
understand the symbol.

I probably need to toss some old containers.

Say hello to my little friend.
(The tile is ~6")

What's wrong with this picture?

Operation Forty Cal

...commences at 0900 Thursday 17 SEP 2020. (Yes, a .40 caliber bullet is about 10 millimetres in diameter.)

Little hiccup, the hospital where I was going to have the operation to remove the 10mm stone, for some reason, apparently was not authorized by my insurance company to use that medical procedure code (and charge for it.) They wanted me to call back in 2 weeks - which, if you are familiar with how long it actually takes to get things accomplished in this country, seemed a tad ambitious. So, I took my business down the road. The place I'm headed to, International Medical Center, looks from the outside more like a palace. (Here's a virtual tour of the place: https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=L8BKBzZx2QG) It is obviously newer, cleaner, etc. Dr. Abdou was very helpful, friendly and informative about what would go on. He even pushed to get me added to the Thursday schedule (there was no space on Saturday) and this all on a Tuesday after 7:30 p.m. Doctors keep different hours here apparently. His 'clinic', i.e. office/examination room, was much larger than the one at GNP Hospital at about 9'x12' which included desk, chairs, exam table, sink, cabinets, etc. Got my x-rays, both picture of the stone & pre-op chest picture. The insurance authorization took a bit of time so it was too late to get my labs drawn. Went back today after work to drop off the CD of the CT from GNP and let Dracula get a refill (best needle stick I've gotten in a very long time.) Tomorrow I show up bright and early for the rest of the pre-op festivities and then it will be showtime! Odd thing is that they said I'd be spending one night, maybe two, in the hospital. Aw well, didn't really have any plans for the weekend at any rate. Although I do need a haircut. Stay tuned.

For fun, here's a little something I have been working on for the General...

I was working from a publication (clock-makers don't document everything correctly I've found) but had to model everything in the CAD software I use so the machinist can build it (he's Swiss.) If you are really interested I can provide a 3D PDF file that you can zoom & spin around to view the entire mechanism. Let me know what you think. Next step is to produce the 2D drawings of every piece, that'll keep me busy for a bit.

So, what else ya' got 2020?

 I suppose at my age I should know better than to tempt the Fates. The plague was certainly a biggie, there have been locusts, floods, droughts, wildfires, earthquakes, and who knows what all else aplenty worldwide. I lost my best buddy Siggy two and a half weeks ago. Now I've had this little pain in my left side for about a week now. <insert ominous music here> 

I stopped by the dispensary Thursday after work and announced that I have a kidney stone. The nurse was all set to line me up with a consult but we decided to bring the doctor in on this, as a second opinion, and he concurred. So today I got to spend two trips and most of my day at yet another fine medical institution here in the MK. Yippie!

Got in to see the doctor at 10 this morning, he wanted me to go right to a CT scan. Insurance vetoed that (big surprise, not.) So, plan B, ultrasound - yup positive, something there where the little stars are shooting out. Then back up to the doctor's office on the first floor (not ground) again to look at the reading from that and back down to insurance approval for the CT scan & to the lab for a pee cup so the lab has something to stick their noses into (I guess this makes the insurance companies happy.) By this time it is 1 p.m. and the doctor has left - but he's back at 5 p.m. Good, I can make a grocery trip.

I come back at 5 p.m., find out I have to go back to the radiology to get the CT report. I go back there, ask for it, told it's not ready yet and please have a seat in the waiting room. Since I already have enough chairs in the apartment I declined their kind offer. When I started drifting off I decided that it was time to go shake the palm and they did have it done this time. Back to the doctor's office.

The doctor writes up an order for me to get the operation on Tuesday and I head back down to the approval office to get that since the doctor will be there until 8:30 p.m. Well, that doesn't go as planned. First the system kicked the clerk out before she could complete my paperwork so she started over again. Then wait ten minutes. Come back, it's rejected - she put in the wrong code apparently. Wait ten minutes more. Come back, rejected - she's trying to figure it out. Wait ten minutes. Come back, still not working, she has to talk with the doctor tomorrow to get the procedure correctly entered. They are supposed to call me tomorrow. Still in limbo I guess.

Anyway, by Wednesday I should be the proud papa of a 10 MM stone. Yay! Stay tuned.