And I don’t really watch much television. Certainly not primetime network TV. But go two months without it and, at the same time, suffer through the supremely wretched offerings of “Star World” or the other overseas cable English-language networks … and you realize, “Hey, I miss ‘Big Bang Theory.’ ” So, two nights ago, we […]

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For this, I might spend the $1,500 on airfare and invest the 25 hours in transit and fly back to Los Angeles. The Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints, both 18-0 and playing in the Super Bowl? I’m there. If it can possibly be done. Not at the game. Just in the country. For the […]

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Yes, there are two soccer World Cups. The one you all know about and … The Club World Cup. The itty-bitty little brother of the World Cup. But the Club World Cup has something going for it: It’s here. In Abu Dhabi. Actually, it’s across the street from where I live.

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We officially live in Abu Dhabi now. I didn’t really consider our two months of staying in an apart-hotel as “living here.” It was more like extended visiting. It had a transitory feel to it. We were here,  but we weren’t really. Not as long as we had someone bringing us towels every day, changing […]

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A part of our Day That Abu Dhabi Flooded was the depressing discovery that the apartment we were about to move into … was covered by a quarter-inch of water. Nothing like standing water to dampen your enthusiasm for a new place. It rained quite a bit more Sunday,  after we looked in on the […]

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Just a reminder: We live in the desert. They get measurable precipitation here about 10 days a year, and by “measurable” they seem to mean “enough to make my SUV dirty.” The annual average rainfall, in Abu Dhabi, is 2-5 inches. And most of it is in February. Unless it’s December 2009. Then it’s time […]

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When you move to another country, some questions/concerns occur to you in the first two minutes. Can I speak the language? Can I find a place to live? Can I handle the climate? Can I handle the culture? Will I be able to see TV from back home? Bang, bang, bang. They pop into your […]

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I grew up in greater Los Angeles. A place that, as anyone who pays attention to weather and geography, is mostly a desert brought to life by massive amounts of water imported great distances. The Colorado River. The Owens Valley. But never, in my decades in SoCal, did I ever rush outside just to see […]

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The “first” is in the headline for a reason. Driving here is extraordinarily dangerous. And deadly. The rate of fatalities per 100,000 people is 27.4, annually, in Abu Dhabi, which is one of the highest rates in the world. In the European Union, the fatality rate is 11.0. So. Compare and contrast. I expect to […]

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I’m weary of this. And I’m living it. I can hardly imagine how any of you might feel. You don’t have to read it. But I can hardly think of anything else. Where did we leave this? I thought we had an apartment? Was that it? Well, we still may have an apartment. The same […]

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