Benajmin, our cab driver, was agitated. I could have guessed it when he pulled up five minutes late. Because he is never late. And when he announced, as we turned into the street, “I am sorry I am late. I cannot concentrate.” Because his roommates — his ex-roommates — had just sprung an unpleasant surprise […]

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Due to popular demand … well, one of you asked … a list of 10 ideas/concepts/events I like about living in Abu Dhabi: (And I also get to do a list, and everyone likes lists.)

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It always has struck me as almost humorous, this concept of flooding in the desert. Shouldn’t they be mutually exclusive concepts? Even after decades in the parched interior of California, the notions of “bone dry” and “raging water” just don’t jibe. Yet, here I am, in the middle of the night on Abu Dhabi Island, […]

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Well, that was fun. And a little random. Thirteen people watching hockey from 12:15 a.m. till about 2:30 a.m., in a city where the only ice in town is in someone’s drink. The gold-medal game of the Vancouver Olympics. Canada against (pronounced “uh-GAINst”) the U.S., starting at 12:15 p.m. PST. Not something I normally would […]

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Brad Friedel is probably the best goalkeeper in the Premier League. Which, arguably, makes him the best goalkeeper in the world. Yet he hasn’t played for the U.S. national team since 2004. He announced his retirement from “international” soccer — that is, the U.S. national team — in February of 2005. Since then, he hasn’t […]

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After all the Winter Olympics I went to, and chased around American teams that averaged about two medals every three days … and I miss one for the first time since 1988 … and the U.S. is apparently going to win more medals than anyone. Have you been talking about this, back home? How big […]

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The most common housing unit in Abu Dhabi is something called the “villa.” Now, if you live in the U.S., you hear “villa” and you’re probably thinking “posh,” maybe “Italianate.” But in Abu Dhabi, the villa can range from kinda nice to seriously down-market. And it almost always is oddly, almost randomly ornate — ish. […]

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I don’t allege to be the ultimate Landon Donovan watcher. I’ve known him since he was 16, but it’s not as if he’s been readily accessible for the past few years. And this may be more about just reading between the lines than any special insight. On the Everton Football Club home site, Landon is […]

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I recognized the cab driver. I had been in his cab before. I was sure of it. First time that has happened since I’ve been here. He picked me up outside the newspaper, so perhaps he lives nearby? Older. Maybe 50, though a lot of these guys have had a hard life, so maybe he […]

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Maybe all of you already know about this. The Josh Sacco version of the Herb Brooks speech from before the 1980 U.S. hockey game vs. the Soviet Union? It’s all you’re talking about over there? It must be a big deal if it’s penetrated into the no-Winter Olympics Zone that is the Arabian Peninsula. First, […]

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